Love and the Empty Broom Closet
by LuxAmbrose
Summary: George is overwhelmed by quidditch, detentions and his growing business. Kate can barely juggle passing transfiguration, social calendars and writing the romance column. Falling in love, just doesn't fit on the agenda, does it?
1. Pro: Love and the Empty Broom Closet

**A/N: Believe it or not this idea **_**didn't**_** come from Sex and the City, I promise. There is a book called 'Chloe does Yale' and it's hilarious. I've always wondered about the other organizations and clubs at Hogwarts, the books focus on the trio so much that JKR didn't get a chance to delve into the daily lives of the school's more…normal…students. **

**So this is my take on the rest of the populace, revolving around Fred and George and their circle of friends. (I'm kind of in love with the Weasley twins) I know the prologue doesn't feature any of the familiar characters yet, but give this a fair shake and go onto Chapter 1 before you give up on me! Without further ado here it is!**

Prologue: Love and the Empty Broom Closet

The sheet of parchment in front of me was still blank. Absently and irritably I tapped the tip of my quill against the side of the ledge I inhabited. I had been trying to write for close to two hours and nothing of use was coming at all. Sooner or later an idea would come to me and then I wouldn't be kicking myself for procrastinating to the very last minute. Then again maybe it would be fun to miss my first deadline of the year just to make Haynes mad.

Rolling my eyes I shifted and pushed my skirt further off my long legs, I was determined to soak up at much sun as humanly possible before leaving in two days. The very idea of leaving my little slice of heaven behind was an unhappy one. My sisters and I had been in Crete with family for close to a month and I didn't want to leave yet.

Letting my eyes wander to the narrow street sprawling below my perch I watched the sparse traffic filter through. Just a kilometer or two away was the shoreline, the smooth pebbles infused with the soft sand leading straight into clear blue water. I had spent many nights out on the shore with various family members and new friends enjoying the mild weather next to bonfires with wine and a few attractive Grecian men playing guitars. As the thought of Greek boys crossed my mind I watched as a pair of them shuffled through the alley, carrying what looked to be a heavy crate. They both wore short-sleeved shirts and I could see the muscles in their arms bulging from the effort.

Was it I or did the temperature rise a few degrees? Smiling a little to myself I took the time to ogle a little longer as they went by. After all, what else was a girl to do when bored and stuck with writer's block on an island of pure sun and ocean? I was only human after all.

"Kate are you done writing yet? That stupid owl Haynes sent has been pecking poor Chaplain to near death!" A voice drifted over the large patio attached to the house we'd been staying in. Switching the gears of my attention I swung around to see a petite girl with her hands on her hips.

Cara, my little sister, clearly wasn't pleased that I'd been sunbathing all afternoon while she'd been putting up with Elise's sunburn and our grandmother's nagging about eating more and shopping less. Biting my lip I held back the several comments I could have given her about the owl attacking her bad natured cat. Instead I shrugged her off. "No not yet."

Ever stubborn, she crossed the space between us and her brows snapped together when she regarded my parchment. "You told me you had an idea and were going to get this out of the way within an hour." Her voice was accusing and she was of course dead on. "You haven't the slightest clue as to what you're going to talk about do you?" Coldness seeped into the edges of her normally very placid voice.

"So I lied a little. I do promise that as soon as I have an idea I'll have it done within an hour." My defense was going nowhere with my shrewd sibling. Sighing she threw her shining blonde curls so they cascaded down her back. My sister was stunning, a fact she was completely oblivious to. Clumsily she hauled herself up onto the ledge, almost losing her balance and tumbling onto the patio's flag stoned floor. Fortunately for me her clumsiness seemed to balance out some of her classic good looks. "I just have no clue how to kick the year off," I muttered.

"Write about summer love, duh," she offered and stretched her arms over her head.

Sighing I shook my head. "No I wrote about that at the start of last year. I can't do two in a row, people would start to notice."

Cara chewed her pink lip for a moment, contemplating my words and I leaned my head against the brick column behind me that supported the gate entry to my grandmother's house. It wasn't like I hadn't been thinking about what to talk about, I had. Every time I rounded a new subject it either seemed ridiculous, non-applicable or the idea delved way too far into my own personal life. Those three things had managed to keep my more wild and inappropriate ideas at bay but this time around I was getting desperate. Idea block had never been this bad before.

"So try a different angle? You're going to eventually have to re-evaluate the same situation from different perspectives Kate. There are only so many subjects you can talk about." Cara, being a Ravenclaw, was always too observant and smart for her own good. "Didn't you owl with anyone over the summer?"

Nodding I fiddled with the rope bracelet on my wrist. "Of course I did, I've talked to everyone. Jennelyn is stuck in France and Alicia and Angelina were at training camp all summer. Lee was working a part time job, I even heard from Fred and George who have been working toward their future," I added and smiled a little to myself as I regarded my best friends. All of us had split up this summer with no time to meet before we boarded the train to school.

"Anything good from them?" Cara persisted.

Shaking my head I held up my hands to ward off that line of inquiry. "I promised all of them when I took this on that I wouldn't write about them. And I intend to keep that promise." I replied and sighed. "But wouldn't that make it so much easier?" I said more to myself than her and then looked down at my parchment. Sometimes my friends were incredibly unaware as to how good the material they gave me was. It was a shame that I was completely unable to use their drama.

Cara toyed with a single curl while she tried to wrack her brain for something to help me. She'd done this last year too, but unfortunately her intelligence was geared more towards politics and Arithmacy equations, not the nuances of Hogwarts' social web. "You know Haynes might not mind if you don't make this deadline, his asking you to be ready in time for the first issue is a stretch."

Laughing I reached forward and wrapped my hands around my ankles. "Right! But you know Ian, as soon as I refused to let him under my skirt we became all business."

It was Cara's turn to giggle; she wasn't completely immune to the opposite sex. "I still can't believe you said no. God if Ian Haynes walked up to me and said he wanted to shag on Snape's desk I'd do it in a heartbeat." Rolling my eyes I tipped myself forward enough to swat her.

Ian Haynes was the editor of the Hogwarts Herald, the completely student run newspaper. Ian Haynes also happened to be one of the best looking boys in the entire school. Of course I had gone through my crush on him, we'd even made out a few times in an abandoned classroom my fourth year but we were way beyond that now. To me Ian was a good friend and my editor, nothing less and usually nothing more. Both our professional goals were to write for major papers or magazines and have our work syndicated across the world. That had built the basis for our friendship, and also was how he pulled me into my current line of writing.

"I rue the day Ian talked me into writing this stupid column." I groaned and tapped my quill against the stone again.

Rolling her eyes, Cara crossed her arms moodily over her chest. "Oh please you love writing the romance column. How else could you discretely vent gossip to the school and stand on your soapbox on all things social and dramatic?"

Tilting my head I squinted my eyes a little as a grin found my features. "A bit yeah. But I really hate not knowing what to write! Surely there has to be a good topic to discuss."

"It's romance Kate, how hard can it be to find something sex related to talk about?" She wondered out loud. Absently she fiddled with the thin gold necklace that ringed her tan neck. "What was last year's back to school column about?"

"Keeping your summer romance alive. I talked about flirting via letters, sneaking midnight fire conversations and arranging holiday plans. Most of it was about enjoying the summer until the bitter end," I explained and chewed my lip.

Nodding, my little sister dropped her chin to her chest as she let the words tumble around in her brilliant brain. I'm not exactly sure how Cara does it, but she manages to look drop dead gorgeous even when thinking too hard. "Well," she drawled. "Why would you want to be attached to someone you can't even see in person? It's hard to make out with someone in the fourth floor empty Arithmacy room if you don't have your other half."

And just like that the green sparks shot off in my brain, lighting up the entire realm of possibilities. "Oh My God! Of course Cara you're a genius!" I cried. "Who wants to pine away over tan and delicious you skinny dipped with in the ocean when you could be getting hot and heavy against the quidditch lockers with that hot chaser in Hufflepuff!" Reaching out I threw my arms around her neck.

In a single motion we both lost balance and crashed onto the patio, both of us shrieking in laughter. "You know I've been told I'm the clumsy one, I think people really overlook you sometimes," she teased, struggling to her feet. "Now finish your article!"

Grinning widely I raised my hand to give a cheeky salute. "Yes sir!" I cried and she rolled her eyes in a despairing motion. Turning back to my parchment I picked up my quill and pressed it to the paper. Carefully I wrote out the scrawling title of the Herald's bi-weekly romance column.

'Love and the Empty Broom Closet'

**So I hope you enjoyed, this was a lot of fun to write! Next chapter will feature all the favorites and familiars I promise! Please review and share your thoughts/opinions/criticisms!**


	2. Love and the Vanishing Step

**A/N: Greetings ^_^ I hope you enjoyed the prologue. I placed the prologue to be first person to give a quick introduction to Kate, as she is a central character in the story. From now on I'll be working in third person so I can switch from character to character with little confusion. Also I'm going to give a friendly warning: I'm going to depict the twins & co. as typical young adults…therefore this story may delve into some more mature themes. Right now the rating will stay as is but it is very subject to change, I promise to give a heads up when it does!**

**Also thanks to devotedreader and sweetrubylocks for the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter…at all…I do own Kate and Cara!**

Chapter 1: Love and the Vanishing Stair

George Weasley was in an incredible mood; his trunk was sitting at the foot of his four-poster once more. The lid was thrown back and overflowing with various articles of clothing, books and all the different types of joke materials he could stuff in there on top of everything else. Managing to get everything in without magic had been an impressive feat but he'd managed to accomplish it. Now he stood before the mess, hands on hips and a satisfied smirk touching his lips.

Even on the first night before classes he was itching to sneak into the halls and wreak havoc with his other half. Fred, however, was already sprawled across his bed to the left of George's. Fighting the impulse to pick up a pair of particularly heinous socks and throw them at his twin he instead stooped down to pick up a set of books to put away. "I do not understand why you insist on doing that the hard way." Fred drawled from his spot, an arm thrown lazily over his head and a magazine in the other hand.

Shrugging, George set the stack of humor related titles as well as a worn photo album on the small desk next to his bed. "Sense of accomplishment Fred," he replied and continued his work.

Fred let out a very loud and exasperated sigh and reached for his wand on his adjacent desk. Flicking his wrist casually towards George's trunk, the entire mess came to life hurtling to respective places. Clothes jammed themselves in their appropriately labeled closet, books settled in the drawers and cabinets of the desk while all the joke contents arranged themselves neatly in the bottom of the trunk. The only mishap was the bottom edge of a particularly heavy potions book grazing the top of George's head, which he figured was done on purpose. "Was that really necessary?" He growled at his not so better half.

Sitting up there was a slightly amused grin on Fred's face. "When you're being a slow prat yes," he explained and then with another flick of his wand and a convenient _accio _a thick sheaf of parchment was now sitting in front of him on the tightly folded bedspread. "How can I talk business with you when you're too busy taking forever?" He drew the syllables out on the last few words, which merited a scowl from George.

His displeasure was quickly cast aside as he took the parchment and began thumbing through the thick stack of orders. "Most of them for trick wands and the like. Remember when we argued about adding the comments and suggestions section?"

"Course, we almost came to blows over a stupid box on the bottom of the damn parchment." George recalled darkly. It wasn't as if he and his brother didn't fight often, but usually not over something so, well, stupid.

"Best idea I've ever had. You have to read some of the things being suggested here!" And as George started at the beginning he read the comment boxes. To his immense surprise there were quite a few interesting ideas. "Love potions? Dry start fireworks? Good God, who wrote that they wanted poltergeist pellets? These are hilarious!" George exclaimed as he continued to read through.

"I thought so too, but the research and materials it would take to make this stuff costs more than we've got right now." Fred scowled. Both brothers had grudgingly recognized a while back that the only thing standing in their way to success was lack of funding. The meager money they'd been making from their mail order startup was enough to continue making the products they had, but the profit they turned was marginal.

George sighed and set the forms aside and went to sit on his bed, across from his mirror image. "If we could figure out a way to get into the tournament then we'd have a shot at that prize money," he said, loosening the tie on his uniform.

Stretching his arms over his head, Fred laid back and chuckled. "Imagine all the perks of being one of the Champions. Prize money, getting to do all that dangerous stuff, and you can bet the girls will be falling all over themselves to get near anyone competing."

Raising his brows, George hazarded a wicked grin. All three of the ideas were equally appealing to him. "So how do we do it?"

Rubbing his hands together in an agitated manner Fred chuckled. "Now that we're out of earshot of the younglings lets discuss our options. We can do an aging potion yes, but that might be too obvious. There has to be a few spells that temporarily age you or even something to fool an age line."

"So we do the usual?" George muttered, yawning.

"We do have sterling reputations to protect, can't be seen in the library during peak hours." Fred muttered. "We'll wake up early and go before breakfast," he said and the door opened from the bathroom. Lee Jordan came out in pajamas, towel drying his dreadlocks. "Bout bloody time, you take forever."

Hauling himself off the bed, George changed into his pajamas and then crawled into bed. If he and Fred were going to get up early then he would want plenty of sleep. As he slipping into sleep he was vaguely aware of the lights turning off and everyone else shutting the curtains to their own beds.

* * * * *

The first morning of the school year was Kate's favorite part of back-to-school. She made it her particular tradition to arrive as early as possible to the Great Hall to grab prime seating and take notes. A notebook was open next to her, a quill ready to jot down what she could soak up from just watching couples and singles walk in as well as pick up little bits of gossip from passersby.

Kate was pulling a bright scarf into her hair when someone joined the table. Angelina Johnson's braids were pulled away from her face. "Please tell me you did not wake up early to train." Kate accused and earned a slightly askew grin in return.

The Gryffindor quidditch player was borderline Oliver Wood when it came to her mania for the sport. Now that she was in charge Kate was sure it was only going to get worse. "I won't have time after class I'm going to be meeting for Student Instructors, I promised Flitwick I would help him with the first years this fall," she said and shrugged.

Sighing Kate set her goblet of pumpkin juice down and reached over to shake her friend by the shoulder. "Ang, you guys don't even have quidditch this season remember? The Triwizard Tournament kind of shot that notion to hell." She replied and then reached for a large blueberry muffin that had just appeared on one of the large serving dishes.

"So? We'll be having season next year and I refuse to let my skills go to waste. I'm even going to talk to Diggory and Davies to see if we can't set up a few scrimmage matches against each other on the reserve field," she explained while loading up her plate with all manner of protein laden foods and carbs. The pair fell into a few moments of companionable silence while they ate and then Angelina smirked. "Found out anything good so far?" She leaned over to read my notes.

"Let's see here, Adrian Pucey strode in here this morning sans Parkinson the elder. Sanjay Isman told me on his way towards the Slytherin table that they broke up over the summer, apparently Viola Parkinson cheated on him with half of Monaco during the family vacation." Lifting a finger Kate pointed over to the Ravenclaw table where her sister was sitting with a few girls. "Cara told me when we walked in this morning that Andrew Corner broke up with Cho Chang long about mid July, and she's doing well without him. And to top it off Terry Boot and Padma Patil were seen holding hands under the table last night at the feast." She rattled off the most recent bits of news she'd come into and then jotted a few more things on her hallowed notepad.

Smirking, Angelina grabbed a quill and scribbled something down on the parchment. Squinting her eyes to read her messy writing Kate groaned. "Add Kate Kelley is just as obsessive over the romance column as Angelina is about quidditch. Was that really necessary to muck my notes up with?" She chided but smiled.

In a moment of rare affection Angelina threw her arm over Kate's shoulder and hugged her. "I missed you Kate! Don't run away to Greece again, London was really boring after training camp without you."

Suddenly the blonde curls of Kate's sister were streaking down the aisle between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables. Just as she slid onto the bench both Weasley brothers sat down too. Bumping into one of them hard there was a squeak followed by a flash of blonde and gray flannel uniform as she tumbled off the bench and scattered all over the floor. Both of the twins were howling with laughter as one of them, Fred or George leaned over to help her up. Luckily Cara was laughing too as she set her uniform back straight. "Careful there Kelley the blonder," one of them teased.

It was George; he lifted up his arm to reveal the brown leather cuff watch he wore, a birthday present from the girls and a convenient way to tell one from the other. Fred had the exact same watch only in black. Usually it was the only way to discern one from the other. "Sorry, Marietta just came down and told me something completely," she paused as she managed a slightly disgusted look on her face. "Vomit worthy."

Just as she was about to open her mouth Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell strolled in and took a seat with the rest of us. "Why do you look like you're caught between laughter and nausea?" Katie asked, regarding Cara suspiciously.

Cara just grinned even wider. "Because I've got the best gossip you'll ever ask for to start the term with," she replied then apprised the group of Gryffindors. "You should probably put your food down before I tell you," she added.

"Oh just spit it out!" Kate said agitated.

"So Cho told me that Flitwick totally caught Marcus Flint and Millicent Bulstrode doin it in the Astronomy tower last night. She said that she'd met him this morning to discuss some start of term notices for Charms club and heard him talking about it to McGonagall before she left his office." Kate felt her stomach churn a little. She'd been exposed to some fairly unpleasant combinations of people but certainly that was among the worst she'd heard.

Alicia literally choked on her kippers and quickly Fred hit her on the back several times with as much force as he should muster without hurting her. The brunette lunged to her water goblet and drained he whole thing before moving onto Fred's. George set down his fork and cast a disgusted look at Cara. "That honestly couldn't have waited until a better time? Oh, like when I wasn't eating?" He said.

Cara shrugged carelessly. "I told you to make sure you weren't eating when I told you. Not all juicy gossip is pretty George. You always take a risk when you choose to listen." Quickly she looked down the table and saw her head master shuffling timetables. "Oh I've got to go, Flitwick is getting a head start on time tables. I'll see you later!" She was up and off again, headed back to her own group of fifth year friends, including Cho.

Casting a glance over he slender shoulder, Kate searched until she found the burly seventh year with a slightly acne ridden face and a pronounced unibrow. Millicent was further down the table, her shoulders hunched and a book open in her place. For two people caught in the act they were being incredible cavalier about the whole thing, then again if she was shagging Flint, Kate wouldn't want the world to know either. "Well I guess even ugly people get some action every now and again," she muttered and then shuddered.

"Don't even dare go there." Katie cut her off before she could even start brainstorming out loud for her next topic. "There are plenty of other things you can talk about aside from people like that doing things like," she dropped her words off with a shudder.

"How about a complete change of subject? Something that won't make us want to projectile our breakfasts across to Hufflepuff?" Fred offered with a cheeky grin but Kate was already scribbling notes down on my pad. Maybe she couldn't brainstorm out loud but she could certainly let her thoughts loose on the page.

* * * * *

The new schedule for Kate's sixth year was a little more daunting than she would have preferred it to be. As she surveyed the timetable she inwardly regretted studying so hard for her Transfiguration OWL. Aside from NEWT level potions, Transfiguration was the most difficult subject, it also happened to be one of her worst. "Defense followed by Transfiguration then Potions?" She questioned out loud as she and Alicia walked out of the Great Hall together.

"This could be the worst Wednesday ever," she lamented with Kate as they compared schedules. Fortunately for both girls they had identical Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. "Wonder what everyone else has going on," she mumbled and stuffed the parchment haphazardly in her bag.

Kate was about to hitch her own higher on her shoulder when suddenly the weight was gone. Lifting her eyes she was unsurprised to see George Weasley falling into step next to her. "So Defense first? Should be interesting," he added.

"What with Mad-Eye Moody teaching, dad says he's a bit off his rocker these days." Fred appeared on Alicia's other side and the boy's mirrored grins.

Kate made to snatch her bag back and then gave George a warning look. "So help you George if you put anything in my bag I'll never forgive you. I still haven't forgotten the incident with the roaches," she gave an involuntary shudder. In her reminiscing she missed the somewhat shadowed expression cross George's face, to be fast replaced by the usual cheeky grin.

"I think I learned my lesson to not put anything dangerous or disgusting in your bag. I still haven't forgotten your column the week after," he replied and she bit her lip to hide the grin. Kate had done a rather thorough expose on his dating habits, and although he was kept anonymous it hadn't done much to put him in a positive light. The pair had gone a solid week and a half without talking. "I just wanted to relieve you of the burden," he added casually and she arched a brow.

Several sharp comments were threatening to burst from her mouth but she held them in. It wouldn't do well to insult her friend in the middle of the hall while he was in control of all of her books. So she held her tongue and then chuckled when he threw a somewhat protective arm over her shoulder. Kate and all the girls in their group had readily agreed that being best friends with the Weasley twins and Lee was normally a good thing. Except when they pulled the big brother card and got carried away with their protective nature. "So Mad-Eye huh? I wonder what Dumbledore had to do to get him to teach here this year."

"Dad told us that they go way back, I bet it was a personal favor or something of the like." Fred interjected and steered their group towards the second floor east corridor. Kate shrugged and smoothed her skirt over her tanned legs.

"Plus he's way into defense, apparently he's was a nightmare to train under at the auror department. Brilliant as they come but demanding and difficult." George added.

Scowling, Alicia ran a hand through her shoulder length brown hair. "Let's hope that his class isn't a nightmare to take. Snape gives me enough hell thank you very much," she muttered and then shouldered her own bag. "Wonder what he'll teach us first?" She mused out loud.

"Don't know, hope it's at least interesting!" Fred replied as they turned the corner and started up the stairs. George's arm was still around Kate's shoulder as they started up the stair. Suddenly her foot sank through a hidden stair and she let out a shriek of laughter as they both fell backwards. In a flurry of uniform and books with her bag she slid onto the landing and he landed on top of her.

"Never thought I'd get this far without a first date," he said with a wink. Lifting her hands up she braced herself on his upper arms. Biting her lip Kate couldn't help it; she was struck with how firm the muscles on his arms were.

"Get off me George!" She said through her laughter and he chuckled. Carefully he pulled himself up and held a hand to help her. Once on her feet she sighed and glared at the staircase. "I always miss that step!"

Grinning evilly, George shrugged and shouldered both of their bags. "I don't mind it so much," he added with a wink.

Rolling her eyes, Kate gave him a good-natured slap across the shoulder. "In your dreams Weasley," she teased and they trotted up to find Fred and Alicia smiling wildly at them, as if they found the situation amusing. Although Kate wondered why neither of them was laughing she brushed it off and fell into a comfortable step with her friends.

At last they made it to the defense classroom where Angelina was already waiting for them with Lee. The pair was arguing about quidditch teams in the national league. Suddenly someone approached them and Angelina was stunned to silence. "Kate I thought I'd be the one to give you the first copy, after mine of course." A velvet voice caused the champagne blonde to turn around.

Kate was met with tall, slender and gorgeous. Ian Haynes was giving her his million-dollar grin. Dark curls dropped across his forehead, just brushing over his stunning emerald eyes. Taking a moment to appreciate the physique of her editor, Kate could understand why all the girls went crazy for him, including why she did at one time too. His grey trousers cut the perfect line down his narrow waist and long legs and his tie was loosened enough to show the hollow his throat, which she knew from somewhat personal experience led down to a very firm and handsome chest.

He was holding out a copy of the student paper, the Hogwarts Herald. Grinning, she took it from him. "I was wondering when I'd see that pretty face of yours Ian," she teased and he arched a brow before settling back on the moneymaker.

"I'll admit it wasn't the direction I thought you'd take but I enjoyed it none the less," he explained and then shrugged his broad shoulders. "See you at the senior staff meeting tomorrow Kate," he said and then tipped his head cordially to the rest of her group.

As he walked away even Kate couldn't help herself. Fortunately for all the girls in Hogwarts Ian was just as good-looking walking away as he was approaching. "Oh my God." Alicia breathed, unable to reach for anything more coherent.

"Ian actually makes breathing look sexy." Angelina complimented and then leaned further from her post against the wall to watch him.

Kate merely rolled her eyes and then took stock of the front page. The back-to-school issue was fairly standard. It contained the usual welcome back article, including a welcome to the new fourth year students who had access to the paper for the first time. The Herald was only offered to fourth years and above, mainly for questionable content that was provided by several columnists but mainly by Kate. "Well? Are you going to let us read or not?" Lee was poking her shoulder.

Snapping out of her reverie, Kate nodded and opened the paper to the third page. There in all its glory was her bi-weekly shrine to all things love and relationship related at Hogwarts. Fred and George leaned over her shoulders as the two girls crowded on her sides.

'_Love and the Empty Broom Closet_

_Owl Me Now, Dump You Tomorrow_

_Or why the summer romance should be confined to its namesake season. One short year ago I imparted well meaning but slightly naïve counsel on ways to keep that summer love alive. I provided what I thought was compelling advice on how to flirt via owl, arrange midnight fire chats, and fulfill steamy Hogsmeade reunions. As the overseer of all thing love at Hogwarts I felt it my duty to see you happy with your summer love. Well ladies and gentlemen of the upper year populace I not-so-regretfully retract all previous opinions in favor of a new angle: get single and do it fast. _

_But Kate I am in loooove! You may indignantly proclaim. And perhaps you're right, a few of my may have found true and undying love. Call me a cynic if you must but this is highly unlikely. You may be confused as to my change of heart. After all what on earth could be better than pining after tan and gorgeous you got frisky with all summer you might be inclined to ask. _

_Sweaty quidditch players and quick witted dueling captains, that's what. For those of you still rusty from a summer of not using your brain let's run a few quick calculations shall we? There are currently 1,092 students attending Hogwarts this year. We'll say that fourth year and above is fair game. Dividing out the younger students that leaves us with 624 students, 156 per house and 39 per year per house. If you're single I'm going to say the odds are in your favor. Out of these 624 options there are four quidditch captains, eight dueling co captains, a student council executive board of seven, a very dishy head editor of the Herald, and of course not to forget yours truly. Why on earth would you want to sit around waiting for a flirty owl from your summer fling when you could be entertaining the notion of a romance with actual presence?_

_Let's be honest during these formative teenage years there is something necessary about actually seeing your significant other in person. Long distance love is not designed for the young and hormonal, it's very difficult not to mention socially unacceptable to make out with a letter. The adage 'out of sight out of mind' may seem slightly cruel but it's true. So my advice to you is set your sights on someone within these school walls, be it the dishy tutor you're going to need for potions or one of the starting chasers on the house team. _

_I can promise you that while you and your fling may have every intention of never letting an eye wander or thinking about someone else, it will eventually happen. Why wait until that miserable moment comes to pass? Keeping up long distance is too hard, especially when you could be setting up a late night kitchen rendezvous now! So for your own sake, consider starting the school year fresh and single, because honestly, the easiest part of a long distance love, is ending it.'_

**You're going to have to tell me what you think about the column, it was the hardest part of this chapter to write and consequently the most fun. I may not get a column worked into every chapter but I'm going to try. **

**Please do me a favor and review; I don't mind questions, comments, criticisms or opinions just as long as you say something! Much love-Brose!**


	3. Love and the News Dungeon

**A/N: Greetings! Sorry this took so long, I had to do a lot of editing and I cut quite a bit of the original text out. This chapter is designed to do some more introductions, but now all the key players are involved in the storyline ^_^ I really wanted to highlight Kate's relationships with both Ian and George. Also this is a setup for things to come!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; I do own Kate, Jennelyn, Ian and any other characters you do not recognize. **

Chapter 2: Love and the News Dungeon

"And then, do you know that red headed git did? He switched my wand in Charms!" Angelina complained loudly to her friends. Alicia and Katie tried for sympathetic looks and words but were coming up painfully short. "So instead of doing the right motion charm I got stuck with a stuffed toucan instead!" She all but yelled in their small study room. Angrily she was tore through a thick leather-bound notebook.

Kate was trying very had to keep her focus on her Transfiguration homework. Hogwarts was just a week into class and already she was struggling with the advanced concepts in the NEWT level class. "Really Ang they do it do you because they can get a rise out of you," she explained tiredly. The girl sitting next to Kate looked up, adjusting her wire-framed glasses.

"Don't get as mad and maybe he'll stop." Jennelyn Ward offered and flicked her sheets of raven's black hair over her shoulder. The Ravenclaw had been neighbors with Kate all their lives. As a result they were best friends, even though they now resided in different houses. Her hazel eyes drifted back to Kate's notes. "No Kate it's two taps then the incantation followed immediately by the clockwise wrist movement. Honestly woman I have no idea how you passed this OWL in the first place," she lamented.

Groaning, Kate tossed her quill down and let her head fall against her open book. "I'm waiting for McGonagall to kick me out any day now. You know I wouldn't have taken this class but Elise insisted I have upper level wand work."

"Ah yes, useful for the girl who wants to be a journalist for a living." Alicia joked from her Potions notes. "At least you understand potions, I'm not sure how much longer Snape will restrain himself from chucking a cauldron at my head." Katie grinned at the brunette.

"Well as least the twins aren't in there anymore, so we're not losing points every class," she reasoned and looked over at Angelina who was still fuming. "Honestly Ang, from what I hear Flitwick thought it was funny! George told me he called the wands disruptive but very clever!" She said, recalling his words at dinner.

Scowling the chaser savagely turned another page in Oliver Wood's Holy Grail of quidditch plays. "Then why does Fred do it to me and not you?" She questioned darkly.

All the remaining girls shared an identical, exasperated expression from their spots in the room. How long had they been waiting for her to figure this one out? "Really Ang?" Kate pressured her a little.

"What?" Angelina growled and turned to face Kate, hands on her hips. "You're the expert on all things boy related, you tell me," she snapped.

Slightly affronted, Kate did not appreciate her tone. "If you can't figure this one out on your own then it's not worth me giving a dignified response, suffice to say maybe you should open your bloody eyes and see for yourself."

"Oh sod off," she growled and Kate swiveled around a grin lighting her face. Looking at Jennelyn she rolled her eyes as if to say it was completely obvious. Both girls began to scribble away at their homework while Alicia and Katie were gossiping about something or other. Curiously Kate tried to catch snippets of their conversation.

"So then I guess Marietta dumped him," her eyes opened wide. Without any hesitation she swung around and deposited herself in the empty chair next to Katie.

"Marietta Edgecomb dumped Stephen Delancourt? Is she insane?" She hissed, leaning forward to throw herself into the thick of things. Both her friends pushed aside their homework. "I mean, he's only among the top five most gorgeous things breathing in this school." It was an apt description of the Ravenclaw sixth year that strode around the school in well-fitted trousers with his tie perfectly straight beneath his stunning blue eyes.

Katie snorted unattractively. "You mean the most disgusting right? I'm surprised it took Marietta this long to get wise to his schemes. He's been taking girls to the back of the library and abandoned classrooms since fourth year," she complained and then caught the doe eyed expression on Kate's face. "What you don't actually mean that you fancy him?"

Silently she chewed on the end of her quill and contemplated the answer. Of course Kate was aware of Stephen's less than sterling reputation but she couldn't help herself. She had a weakness for dark hair and light eyes, and Stephen Delancourt fit the ticket perfectly. The boy was a chaser for the Ravenclaw house team and was on the executive board for Arithmancy club. In a sense Stephen was a slightly looser version of Cedric Diggory and a more sociable version of Ian Haynes. "What? He's really attractive."

Slapping her hands on the table in an exasperated motion Alicia shook her head. "You of all girls should know better than to go for Delancourt. He's been connected to at least half of the Hufflepuff upper years and the mass majority of the Slytherin girls. Honestly woman do not get yourself tangled up in him you will regret it." The Gryffindor chaser warned, her eyes dark as she regarded Kate.

"Look it's not like he's going to go for the lowly romance columnist who is already failing transfiguration. Delancourt likes his girls smart, gorgeous and not in Gryffindor," she replied and then shook her head. How long had she been harboring this stupid crush on him?

"My advice is to give it up Kate." Angelina advised from Oliver Wood's bible of all things quidditch.

* * * * *

The Hogwarts Herald was edited and printed in a room on the lowest level of the castle. Half the size of the Great Hall with a vaulted ceiling, the News Dungeon was Kate's favorite place in the entire castle. Since she joined the paper staff in her fourth year as a copy editor she had spent a large portion of her time in the room. Many late nights were spent in the company of the staff, pouring over articles and sharing butterbeers while finalizing the layout.

Ian Haynes also practically lived in the News Dungeon, the Herald being the center of his universe. Anytime Kate needed to talk to her editor and friend she always started there. In fact it was rare for her to find the Dungeon devoid of his gorgeous presence, but the second Thursday of the term it was. Five large calendars lined one wall and that was where Kate stood when Ian strode in, loosening his tie and dropping his bag on his desk. Looking up at him she nodded her head and went back to filling dates with her wand. "How are the late September and early October schedules looking?" He jumped straight into business, typical Ian.

Each calendar had a purpose: a general school schedule including staff schedules, the publishing calendar, the bi-weekly menu from the house elves, the clubs and events calendar and the social calendar. One of Kate's primary jobs was to oversee the social calendar. This included filling in planned Hogwarts socials and Hogsmeade visits but she also included unofficial parties and gatherings as well. The social calendar was in a sense her Bible; she handpicked her events and made her appearances based on the information she scribed on the giant board. All for the sake of gathering information about the romantic lives of her peers.

"It looks busy, but this time of the year always is," she mused. "Of course there's Ravenclaw Founder's Day this Saturday. Gryffindor sixth years are having the Common Room Rally this following Friday for fifth years and above. I heard a rumor that Diggory's group is going to have a kitchen party at the end of the month, in honor of his seventeenth birthday," she flicked her wand and the quill that was suspended tip against the wall started scribing more notes. "Of course Slytherin is having the annual Silver Serpent Reception, but it's by invite only, don't know if I'll get one this year. Charms club is having their fundraiser early this year, so is the HPS, because of the tournament and the other schools coming," she didn't look at him as she spoke and instead flicked dates onto the squares for the days. Green stars went next to the events she was attending for sure. With a grimace she realized that there were sparkling stars next to most of them.

"Good, good. Don't worry too much about the Silver Serpent Reception. If it's as boring this year as last I'd not bother. You'll need to put in most of the night at Founder's Day and that kitchen party." A wicked grin formed on his face. "I will be at both and I reserve the right to use you as my rescue dancer."

Kate groaned and walked away from the calendar. "No! You did this last year and I spent the whole night with you so I could save your cowardly arse from Viola. Not happening again!"

"If memory serves me right, and I know it does, you didn't seem to mind." A blush covered her cheeks. They had left Founder's Day early to snog in the very room they were now arguing in. And Ian was right, it had been fantastic.

"Yes well, we don't do those things anymore remember?" She poked his shoulder with a shadowy grin. Going around she sat at the chair in her desk and started rifling through several parchment notes that had been sent to her. Most of them were romantic questions, which she saved until the bi-annual question-answer column.

Kate was aware that Ian was looming over her, that mysterious grin on his face. Determined to ignore him she found it difficult when he was suddenly sitting on the edge of her desk, his fingers undoing his tie far too casually for her taste. "Why is that Kate?" He questioned non-chalantly.

Sighing she pushed aside her work and stared up at him. Even though she was well aware that she as over her crush on him, it didn't stop her train of thought for slowing down, even just for a few seconds. "Because," she started drawing her words slowly. "We realized that we didn't want to be in a relationship, so we decided to keep our friendship strictly platonic."

Ian tipped his head to the side, sending a shower of dark curls across his forehead and into his green eyes. Then he lifted a hand and raked his fingers through his hair, the one thing that always unsettled Kate. "Shame," he muttered.

"No, not a shame. We both agreed that it was the best course of action given the fact that we work together." Kate added through gritted teeth and pushed her rolling chair away from him, in desperate need of the air. Moving over to her bag she opened the flap and dug around until she found a hair tie. Quickly she braided the expanse into a neat side braid that now fell just short of the inside of her elbow. "Ian if you make my job at the Herald difficult with your charm and flirting I will do nothing but write crap all year on purpose." Her threat hit the mark.

Hopping off the desk he narrowed his eyes in her direction. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me," she replied flippantly and then came back to her desk to shoo him away. "I mean it Ian, you can claim me as your dance rescue at Founder's Day but I am not going to save you every time some girl makes doe eyes at you and I'm certainly not sneaking off to snog with you in the corner of the Dungeon." Satisfaction filled her voice; it was high time they laid down the ground rules for their relationship, which consisted of nothing but blurry lines.

Pretending to heave a heavy sigh he shook his head. "You take all the fun out of life Kate," he muttered.

Rolling her eyes she crumbled up a particularly useless question and hurled it at him. The ball of parchment missed his head by several inches provoking a laugh from him. "Oh shut up," she grumbled turning back to her work.

Ian sat down at his own desk to start the layout, still laughing. "Merlin's Beard it's a good thing you love writing. Clearly quidditch is completely out of the question for you," he said before she lifted her wand and with a casual flick a stream of water was showering over him.

* * * * *

Kate was curled up next to the fire, parchment stretched over her lap. Several scribbles were all crossed out and she was tugging one of her long braids thoughtfully. From where he stood on the last step from his dormitory George grinned. She looked, in a word, adorable. His plan to sneak to the kitchens derailed, who needed hot chocolate when Kate was looking vulnerable and edible herself?

"Sickle for your thoughts?" he alerted her to his presence. Kate started but recovered with one of her stunning smiles. George didn't even fight the somersault his stomach turned.

"They probably aren't worth that much," she replied warmly. "Where's Apocalypse One?" She referred to Fred by the nickname the girls had given them.

"Asleep, couldn't wake him up. Fred sleeps so hard he'd probably snore straight through the apocalypse," he tossed back at her. Her smile broadened as she set aside her parchment and stretched her legs for a moment before bringing them back in.

"So out causing trouble or would you care to sit?" Holding a hand out she gestured for him to join.

"Don't mind if I do," and he settled himself on a large floor pillow next to her. Leaning over he tugged one of her braids and settled deeper on his pillow. "Can't sleep?"

Placing her chin in her hands she nodded. "Yeah, got my idea but can't get it down," she explained and looked down at her long sleeved shirt. The green sleeves had holes at the hems and it was very faded. The fact that she wore short running shorts did not escape him either. The fire dimly lighted the expanse of her long tan legs.

Pretending to stroke his chin a moment he let out a few dramatic sighs. "Tell me the topic and we'll see if I can't help," he offered.

"The art of hallway flirting, you know standing outside classrooms. Passing notes while walking, accidentally brushing against each other. Basic kid stuff, Ian is worried about going too strong on the fourth years." She told him. As usual her hands were in rapid motion, Kate had a severely ingrained habit of talking with her hands.

"Sinking in the vanishing step causing your very dishy friend to fall on top of you?" He offered, Kate laughed and gently bumped her shoulder against his. "What? That's what you were doing right?" He teased.

"Was it that obvious?" Kate sighed and pretended to swoon. George steadied her and did not remove his arm from around her shoulder.

"Okay so you're encouraging hallway molestation I can definitely get behind that." She laughed again, resting her head on his shoulder.

"No George its more than that it's," but she broke off. As she turned her face to the fire he saw the faint traces of a blush on her cheeks. Something was slightly embarrassing her.

Nudging her he felt his usual grin turn to a curious smile. "What is it? You can tell me. I swear not to laugh," but he faltered and Kate shot a playful glare at him. "A lot."

Her resigned sigh sounded his victory. "There are roughly six billion people on the planet, wizard and muggle alike right? And we're all looking for someone to be with, someone to love. The chances of finding the right one by pure coincidence or love at first sight are non-existent. We all need a bit of help, and I figure if quick tips help you get that girl you noticed in class to notice you back, well then I'm equal to the task." Kate's voice filed with hope and passion. Silently he admired her steely eyes as they lit up during her speech. George had completely missed her expression shift to suspicious. "Okay, it must be really stupid if you aren't even laughing."

Immediately he snapped back to reality. "Well, it wasn't funny was it? People's passions shouldn't be laughing matters," he replied firmly. Kate arched an amused brow, laughter colored her features. "Okay so some passions are funny, I'd like to think mine is."

"Hmm the results of your interests are funny, but not the actual passion." Kate corrected.

"What about people who are passionate about feet? Or what about garden gnomes? Of the muggle or magical variety." She lost her straight face.

"Introduce me to one and I swear I will keep a straight face." But she was laughing.

Chuckling he hugged her in a little closer, a smile found his face as her hand reached over and rested lightly on his knee. George knew it was just for the sake of making their current position comfortable, but he didn't care. Contact with Kate was still contact and although he didn't quite have a solid explanation for it, he got a rush out of being near her. "I'll get on that," he joked.

For another moment they were silent and then she sighed. "Joking about that stuff is fun but unfortunately it doesn't write my article" she lamented and stared moodily at her blank parchment.

"Mmm I remember the first girl I passed notes with in the halls." George suddenly said. "You know Allison Trebolt, she's in Hufflepuff," he commented.

"Of course, everyone knows her, she's the best chaser on the team." Kate remarked of the pert blonde who had springy curls and overwhelming talent on the pitch.

Nodding George grinned as he thought about his first attempts at romancing a girl. "It was the end of second year. Right after Fred and I turned thirteen girls was suddenly, well, girls and she was one of the first ones I noticed. So I started making up excuses to run into her or positioning myself so we got partnered up in classes we had together. Got to be friends, so I started slipping notes straight into her bag when we passed each other in the hallways or when we stood outside our classrooms. Most of the time they were just funny jokes or comments about other students or teachers." There was a pause as Kate shifted against him and moved so her head was once again resting on his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her smiling a little as she listened to him.

"What happens after that?" She asked him.

Swallowing he diverted his attention from how close she was back to his story. Now his little tale about Allison not only seemed unimportant but monumentally embarrassing as well. George however, was never one to let anything embarrass him, so he plowed on. "Right before the start of end of year exams I wrote a note asking her to be my girlfriend. She read it in potions and I didn't hear from her for the rest of the day. Then the next morning she caught me in the hall and told me that if I really wanted to date her then I should do two things: wait till I was in fourth year and have the backbone to ask her in person."

Kate started shaking in silent laughter. "Oh George," she started but he shook his head and poked her shoulder.

"It's okay you can laugh, it's funny now." Besides he was enjoying her laughing against him. It felt nice. "So tell me about yours?" He teased her and she sighed before shaking her head no.

"No it's so awful!" She moaned. "Besides how will I know that you aren't going to run off and tell your darling brother who will then tell the entire school?" George grinned, if there was a singular huge difference between his brother and himself it was the fact that George could keep a secret. Fred would hold something in for about twenty minutes before opening his big mouth and telling the entire school.

"I swear to you Kate I won't tell Fred. You've told me things before and they've never surfaced." It was the truth. This wasn't the first time the pair had ended up sitting in the common room together after hours. Some of George's best memories of Kate were of the two of them sprawled out by the fire, talking about anything that came to mind.

Holding up her hands to relent she sighed. "Okay, okay I was a fourth year, and I was about to turn fifteen that November. I fancied the pants clean off Cedric at the time. I mean literally followed him around the school halls wherever he went."

Suddenly George laughed, the memory of watching her preen her hair and stare over her shoulder at the Hufflepuff table was clear. He and Fred had given her relentless trouble about the handsome boy. "I remember quite vividly," he told her.

A pained expression crossed her face and she fought a sardonic smile. "So clearly he had no idea I existed. But I kept trying to work up the courage to ask him out to the village, I figured he wouldn't say no if I went out of my way to do it. I would purposely put myself in his path so we would brush shoulders or bump into each other and I'd drop my books and he'd have to help me. For a few weeks I totally thought it was working."

"And you were wrong." George now remembered where this was going. Kate had burst into the common room in absolute hysterics.

"So the last Friday before the first visit of the term I tried that maneuver. His things went everywhere and I started helping him pick them up. Cedric was totally mortified because he asked me why I kept turning up everywhere he went. And it wasn't in a cute flirtatious way. I managed to blurt out that I liked him and although he was quite nice about it he let me down, in front of all his friends." Kate grumbled and stared moodily into the fire. To this day that memory still hurt her and it served as her provocation to warn all of her friends about stupid romantic moves before they made them.

The fire was dying low by now and George drew her close while she contemplated silently. "Well start your column off with that," he offered. Kate pulled back sharply, a horrified expression on her face.

"Excuse me?" She questioned, thoroughly shocked.

Grinning he leaned closer and tweaked her nose before gesturing to her parchment. "It's a great way to open a column and it's also an excellent way to get back at Diggory, embarrass him a little for his own social feaux paus. Without mentioning names of course." For a tense moment he waited while she mulled the notion over in her mind, clearly examining it from all angles.

Slowly her features lit up and her mouth arched into a devious smile. "That's actually an excellent idea George. I mean I don't like the notion of sacrificing myself on the literary altar but really I've got no better way to introduce the correct ways to make a pass at someone in the hallway."

Throwing his arms behind his head he stretched out and settled his face for arrogance. "Well what can I say? I am a genius."

Snorting she reached out for her parchment and quill again. "I doubt I'd go that far." A pause fell between them as they stared at each other, eyes locked. "But thank you, I've been going in circles trying to get this started." George got to his feet and yawned widely. With a tired shrug of his shoulders he looked back down at Kate who was still watching him, her iron eyes curious.

"You're welcome Kate, night," and then he retreated from his spot and back up the stairs to bed. As he lay down he heard a shifting in his brother's bed.

"You're hopeless." Fred muttered and then George could only assume he'd rolled over back into his sleep as he heard his twin snoring once more.

**So there you have it! Next chapter finds our characters at Founder's Day, in compromising positions and giving Kate a good run with her quill. I really hope you enjoyed this installment; things get better and more tangled from here on out! **

**Remember..reviews are love. I'd appreciate **_**anything**_** you have to say! Much love—Brose.**


	4. Love and the Prefect's Bathroom

**A/N: Woo chapter three! Let me give fair warning…this chapter depicts teenagers doing…teenager-ish things. Also a little development on a few different plot lines. I'm trying to follow the fourth book as closely as possible. **

**A very special thank you to everyone who has placed this story on their alerts, and favorites list. Also to: devotedreader, vampire-luver101, Dino Flavored Ramen, and sweetrubylocks for the wonderful reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP, but I do own Kate, Ian, Stephen and a few others ^_^**

Chapter 3: Love and the Prefect's Bathroom

Firewhiskey and wizard radio were a dangerous combination. The side effects included outrageous dancing, bad pick up lines and way too many couples stashed in dark corners. Or at least that's what Kate thought as she cut through the thick crowd in the Dueling Club practice room. Clutching her vodka and gillywater a little closer to her she slipped sideways through a group of Hufflepuff seventh years making up a wild dance by swinging their arms too wide. Rolling her eyes she smiled a little as she went in search for her own friends.

Ravenclaw Founder's Day party was always held on the second Saturday of term. The bash was reserved as a welcome back for fifth year students and above. Every year the location changed, to protect the secrecy of the event. The senior members of the Dueling Club had happily offered the Ravenclaw seventh years their practice room as the host. Kate reckoned it was as good a spot as any; the high ceiling room was as large as the News Dungeon and had perfect acoustics for the music blaring from a bewitched radio. Several high tables with stools had been conjured from thin air as well as couches and large sitting areas all surrounding the dance floor.

Kate had just managed to rescue Ian from a particularly persistent fifth year in her own house and she was now determined to join Alicia, Angelina and Jennelyn to finish out her night. So far the event had been a huge success, even better than last year. Through a thin spot in the crowd she saw her friends all gathered around two high tables they'd pushed together.

A smile toyed on her lips; Fred Weasley was practically hovering over Angelina, preventing anyone from asking her to dance. If she noticed she was doing a very good job at hiding her distaste because she was lapping up everything he was saying to her. Which Kate could understand, he looked very handsome in muggle clothes. Alicia and Jennelyn were talking to Lee who was wearing a set of the more fashionable robes on the market; he seemed to be exaggerating his gestures a little more so than usual. Probably owing to the large amounts of Firewhiskey he had consumed earlier in the evening.

Even she had a nice buzz working her system as she approached them. On the opposite side of the table George Weasley was returning with a fresh drink, his red hair falling attractively across his forehead. A grin crossed his features as he noticed her come out of the throng and come around the table to the free spot next to him. "I'm beginning to think that Ian has a contract out on your time, what's he paying you to rescue him from doe eyed girls all night?" The twin inquired.

Tossing her head back and laughing, Kate was unabashed when she placed a hand on his upper arm. Beneath her fingers she felt his muscles tense then quickly relax. "I think you might be right!" She then appraised him not for the first time that night. Both he and Fred had decided to take a different route with their dressing, and had donned muggle garb. This in itself wasn't unusual, there was a fairly even mix of wizard and muggle wear spread through the party. However seeing George Weasley in fitted jeans and a worn Henley was something else.

To her right Fred and Angelina were still chatting amiably, they had been going for a record time without fighting. "How long do you think that will last?" He gestured, catching her looking.

Shrugging she sipped her drink. "Another five minutes maybe?" She wondered and then laughed when he started mimicking the pair in the heat of an argument. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Alicia slip off to the dance floor with a Justin Boot. Jennelyn was gone and Katie Bell had sidled up to their table.

Making a move to greet them, Kate felt her jaw drop down when she watched Lee slip his hand into hers and lead her away from their table towards the dance floor. She knew that Katie and Lee were good friends but the way he had pulled her in tightly against his chest spelled anything but friendship. "I'll be damned." George was thoroughly amused as he watched two of his good friends dance so close there was literally no space between them at all.

"I did not see that one coming." Kate muttered and then ran her fingers through her hair. For the occasion of the party she had gone to great lengths to magic her hair perfectly straight. The result effectively showed off the layers cut into it.

"Guess I can't say I'm surprised, Lee only goes on and on about her every other five minutes all the time." George started and Kate felt both her brows rise. "I honestly can't believe you didn't pick up on it Kate! Some romance expert you are can't even see when two of your own housemates and friends are crazy about each other." George took a deep drink from his Firewhiskey and then Kate noticed his eyes slip down her frame. Taking a second she looked down at the jeans she wore with a long steel gray tank, which flowed, over her torso. Lifting nervous finger to the satin bow on one shoulder she mentally checked that everything was in place. "You look nice tonight Kate," he said over the music, reaching and steadying her hands.

Against her own will she felt her stomach flip. Really, she reasoned, he did look incredibly attractive. In some respect she wanted to run her fingers through his hair and fix the crooked sleeves on his hunter green shirt. And then someone walked past and her jaw dropped.

Stephen Delancourt had the traditional wavy blonde hair with a widow's peak that set it at an attractive angle across his forehead. His hazel eyes held a slight tinge of green and were set above a straight nose and a strong chin. The way his cheekbones rose on his face gave his cheeks a slight hollow. The robes he wore probably cost more than her entire outfit plus jewelry and he pulled off the iron gray with no effort at all. Things like looking good in potato sacks came easily to boys who looked as good as Stephen Delancourt.

"Hey there Kate!" He said as he walked by and gave her a wink. "Save a dance for me later yes?"

Someone could have knocked her over with a feather. "Sure, see you Stephen," she managed to stumble out of her glossed mouth, but he was already walking away. Somewhere inside her chest an entire army of butterflies had started marching and she had a sudden urge to find a corner and be sick.

A heavy hand came to rest on her shoulder. "Merlin's beard Kate please tell me you aren't actually interested in Delancourt are you?" George's tone had taken on that annoyingly familiar big brother edge.

Glaring up at him she nodded before taking a deep drink. "Just because there are a million rumors about him doesn't mean they're true. I should know, I make it my business to know about the social web of this school."

"No Kate, you make it your business to attending social functions and write about romance. Not run the gossip mill of this school, there's a huge difference." Kate sighed and shook her head; she couldn't believe this was about to happen. Sure she'd fought with George before, they were close friends and therefore were prone to the odd argument. But they weren't Fred and Angelina, exploding every other day and arguing over stupid and trivial matters.

"Part of being on the social scene and writing the column include knowing everything in the gossip chain as well as checking for validity," she argued obstinately, determined not to let him have the best of her.

George was not satisfied by her pert response. "Kate gossip has nothing to do with the things you write about. Just admit it you're something of a gossip hound. You can't help yourself when it comes to that stuff." Scoffing, Kate suddenly realized that she'd just drained her drink and now the effects were beginning to come on strong.

"I need another drink," she muttered and began making her way toward the bar. A hand caught her elbow and she felt herself become unsteady on her heels. George was now guiding her through the crowds towards the makeshift bar set up. "I could have done it myself," she grumbled but watched him pour her another cocktail anyway.

"Look I'm not going to tell you who you can and can't date but I will say that your perception of Delancourt is twisted. He is not interested in smart girls like you to take on as a girlfriend. At least not without a small arsenal of less intelligent, looser girls on the side." George commented as he led her back to their spot. Jennelyn was back; this time with a few of her other Ravenclaw friends while Fred and Angelina had apparently started arguing at the very end of the setup.

Kate was about to come back with a witty response when she saw Ian walking straight towards her. "Oh God can we forget about Delancourt for right now? It's not that I don't love Ian I just really don't feel like rescuing him yet again."

A grin lit her friend's face. "Then come on." And George pulled her to the last place she thought he would, right towards the middle of the dance floor. "It's probably more polite to ask you to dance but there wasn't time, you needed immediate action," he now had to lean in close to talk to her, the music was much louder on the floor.

They were packed in tight with several other students all dancing to the latest single from the Weird Sisters. "I'll dance with you George," she answered him anyway and a small gasp popped from her lips when he placed a firm hand on her lower back and pulled her tight. Their hips bumped against each other as she lifted a hand to steady herself. Beneath her fingertips she felt his bare skin at the collar of his shirt, it was warm and smooth.

The impulse to follow the beat of the music won out her slightly intoxicated mind and before she quite understood what she was doing she and George were dancing together. In all their years of friendship they had never been quite this close before. Luckily they had those years; otherwise she would have felt incredibly uncomfortable dancing the way she was with him. Time slipped away as he spun her around and back in. For several songs they were that way, laughing with each other as they moved to the beat of the music.

When they left the floor she noted that Ian was nowhere to be seen and neither were Lee and Katie. Jennelyn had left early with Cara and some other Ravenclaws. Alicia was out of breath as she ran up to her friends. "George, Fred is looking for you. I think his fight with Angelina went further south than usual," she explained.

George seemed slightly reluctant to take his leave but did so, headed for the area across the large room to where his brother was apparently causing a ruckus with a few Hufflepuffs. "Where's Ang?" Kate asked over the loud music as she linked her arms with Alicia's.

"Don't know, Fred told me that they started yelling and then she just took off."

Frowning, Kate tried to scan the room as best as possible. "Maybe she's already in the tower?" Was her hopeful offer. Shrugging Alicia sipped her drink and then hiccupped. "Alicia are you drunk?" Kate questioned her, a wide smile threatening her face.

Alicia shook her head but another hiccup betrayed her. "Absolutely not! I'm the responsible one remember?"

Indeed Alicia was the 'smart' one of the group, who studied the most and got the highest marks. Trouble making wasn't her forte, and apparently neither was drinking. Kate realized that the chaser was having problems walking straight and seemed a little green around the gills. "Alicia how much have you had?" Concern colored her voice.

A very stupid smile crossed the drunken girl's petite features. "A lot," and she words slurred from her mouth.

"Yes I can tell, and you look like you're about to be sick all over the place. The prefect's bathroom is close if I remember, how about I get you there and you can lay down where we have facilities nearby?" Kate offered, knowing that the Gryffindor tower was much too far away. At this present level there was no way they'd be able to sneak back into the dorms without getting caught.

Any person who decided to attend Founder's Day took one huge risk: getting caught. Last year the twins had taken the fall in order to let the girls get back safely to the tower but it seemed that Kate and Alicia would receive no such luxury.

However it was either take the risk of getting caught or Alicia becoming violently ill all over the floor, in front of quite a few people. Kate knew which one she'd rather attempt. So she looped her arm through her friend's and slowly they made their way towards the doorway that led out into the halls of the school. Luckily they had left on their own, and not in a group of others. Silently she prayed that Filch was too busy doling out detentions to other students for them to get caught.

The practice room was just a floor above the prefects bathroom and Alicia slurred out directions to Kate as they sidled along the walls, ducking behind suits of armor when they could. The work was stop and go and the longer they took the more nervous Kate got. She reasoned that the longer they were out in the open the more chance they had of getting caught. Then, just a down the corridor from the entrance Alicia got the hiccups, and she clutched her stomach as she groaned.

"Kate I'm going to get" –hic- "sick!" She moaned and stumbled against her friend.

Quickly Kate weighed her options, either make a dangerous break for it or find an empty suit of armor. Just when she was about to make Alicia dash for it a mewing stopped her dead in her thoughts. Mrs. Norris was staring up at them with her lamp-like eyes. If a cat could be showing disapproval Kate figured that Filch's damned cat could. Cursing the decided it was now or never.

"More students eh! I'll get them this time!" Filch's roar could be heard from the bottom stairwell.

Alicia was not the only one who was about to get sick. Kate had never been caught by Filch after hours in her life. Just when she was about to surrender a shadow came behind her and covered her mouth. "I'll create a diversion, run for it." A liquid smooth voice whispered in her ear.

A new kind of nausea swept over Kate, her butterflies were back again. Turning around she saw Stephen's eyes reflect in the light coming from the corridor windows. "Stephen I can't," but he cut her off, pressing a finger to her lips.

"Go before she vomits all over the floor," he gestured to Alicia who indeed looked miserable. Nodding she gave him a quick smile before hurrying off with Alicia. Just as she whispered the password to the statue and the door opened she heard a loud bang. Multicolored sparks filled the hallway and she watched Filch skid to a halt in the corridor. Stephen was waving his wand like a symphony conductor, letting the sparks bounce off walls and the ceiling.

And then Alicia moaned in misery once more, which was enough motivation for Kate. She shoved her friend through the doorway and got her to the toilet just in time for the contents of Alicia's stomach to come up. Screwing up her face in disgust Kate avoided breathing through her nose as much as possible, the smell of alcohol permeated the room and her stomach lurched again.

However she had been in Alicia's position many times before, miserable and retching. So she found the impulse herself and instead pulled the girls hair from her face and rubbed her back gently. For a long time they stayed this was as Alicia alternated between muttering nonsense and emptying her body. After a long while Kate collected several fluffy towels and laid them out for her friend.

"I think I'm dying," the chaser wailed as she sprawled on the floor, half on the towels. She pressed the side of her face against the cold marble floor. "Love the floor," she mumbled. "Nice cold floor." With a shaky hand she patted the white surface.

Kate sat on the edge of the pool-sized tub and fought the urge to laugh. For the last hour she'd had the opportunity to sober herself up and now felt nothing but sympathy for her friend. Worse things had happened aside from being ill, including the raging hangover Alicia was bound to have in the morning. "Yes I bet the cold helps quite a bit," she mumbled but her thoughts were elsewhere.

Two people filled her mind to capacity at the moment. Stephen Delancourt and all his gorgeous glory dominated the majority. George Weasley and his well meaning, but slightly annoying warnings were also butting in to make themselves known. Scowling she tried to push her red headed friend out of her mind but was failing. Although she couldn't understand it she was still getting the mental image of the black t-shirt he wore under the cream colored Henley shirt. It was incomprehensible the way she enjoyed how his sleeves were pushed up on his muscular forearms, especially he would scratch the back of his neck when laughing.

Then of course there was Stephen who had just rescued her from certain detention and points loss. He was at the moment a God among men to her and she didn't care what kind of reputation he had.

Alicia made another pitiable noise from her throat as she rolled onto her stomach. Kate rubbed the palms of her hands up and down Alicia's back as the girl pressed the side of her face to the cool marble floor. The poor girl had just deposited all of her stomach in the toilet. Now she was as white as the floor but thankfully no longer sick. The violent hangover would begin in the morning, which wasn't too far off.

A few hours had done wonders to sober Kate. Now all she could do was toss the notion of Stephen Delancourt around in her mind. It wouldn't be so bad, trying to flirt him up, maybe see if he'd ask her on a date. After all she was single and so was he, she reasoned. Nestling deeper against the baroque papered wall she sighed. "Boys," she grumbled.

"Oh I feel awful." Alicia mumbled against the floor.

Kate smiled sympathetically at her friend, Alicia had rescued her several times before, and it was time to repay the favor. "We're going to have to wait it out, you'll be better in a few hours." Gently she smoothed the girl's hair.

With clumsy effort and a high-pitched giggle Alicia rolled onto her back. "Justin Boot looked really good and I mean really good. Do you know we danced a lot! He's so nice and I can't believe I never talked to him much before. Did you know that he held my hand when we walked on the floor and talked to me about stuff other than school? Boys never talk to me unless it's about quidditch or school." Her voice was light and heavy with alcohol, an oxymoron Kate was incredibly familiar with. "What do you think about him?"

"I honestly don't know him well enough to say dear," she soothed, while trying to swallow her laughter.

Alicia was fading into sleep. "You know that he likes you right?" Her sleepy voice filled Kate's ears.

"Who, Justin Boot?"

The chaser snorted quite unattractively. "No, not Justin though if he did like you I'd be sad." She stuck her lower lip out as a means emphasizing her point. "Kate I think he really likes you," she managed around a huge yawn.

"Who does?" Kate pressed, now very curious.

But Alicia was already passed out.

* * * *

Lee Jordan's hangover potion was a miracle contained in a bottle. The foul tasting violet liquid could make any headache and all the nausea go away within minutes. George reckoned it was useful at almost any given time. However at the moment he'd rather take on the hangover than the job he had ahead of him now.

Sometimes he really wanted to kick Angelina Johnson for making his life so difficult. Only that girl had the ability to completely destroy Fred's normally quite excellent moods. Right now he was sitting out near the quidditch pitch, lying in the grass while his brother paced back and forth. His mirror image had been ranting and raving for the better part of the last hour, all about that stupid girl with her stupid braids and her stupid sharp mouth. George had wanted to make it his priority to get the two together, but it seemed an impossible and dangerous task.

So, instead of meddling in business that wasn't his, he simply let Fred's whining go in one ear and straight out the other. Now George knew that Fred was aware of this fact, but it often did not prevent him from shooting his mouth off for unreasonable amounts of time. "George you aren't even listening are you?"

Fred's voice now cut through George's reverie, causing him to lean up slightly to take in the very ruffled appearance of his twin. "When it comes to Angelina if it's not your constant exultations on how amazing she is then you're complaining about how she might be one of the horsemen of the apocalypse. I fail to see why this rant is any different than the other nine million you've subjected me to."

His response was Fred waving has wand and suddenly George was lifted into the air and tossed several feet away. Cursing under his breath, George got to his feet and brushed off the back of his robes. "What was that for!" He shouted.

"I don't complain when you talk incessantly about other girls! Besides we're brothers that means you have to listen to me."

"Or it means I reserve the right to not listen to you. Family aren't bound to put up with your whining." George replied smartly and whipped his wand out to defend himself. But Fred had given up cursing him; it seemed to be too much effort. Then again, if George had drunk so much that the hangover potion wasn't completely effective, he'd be miserable too.

Fred dropped onto the grass and George followed suit. "Sorry mate. Sometimes Ang just makes me so mad I could tear my own hair out."

Instead of allowing him to continue down that path again, George decided to divert him. "Well why don't we focus on something else a little more pressing. Such as how Bagman hasn't answered our owl yet. I reckon it's time to send another one. See if he got our first." George muttered and shared a dark look with Fred.

Ludo Bagman currently topped his list of 'people who ought to be lined up on a wall and cursed into oblivion.' If the former beater had accidentally given them leprechaun gold he'd eat his wand. Both boys knew that he'd done it on purpose, but figuring out why and how to use it against him was proving to be a bit much even by their own skewed moral standards. "Merlin's beard George isn't it a bit early in the morning to be thinking about potential blackmail and money?" Fred groaned.

Clearly his hangover was still leaving a few lasting marks. Scowling George shook his head. "It's almost one in the afternoon you twit. And I don't know about you but I'd really like to get my savings back in a monetary form that won't disappear overnight."

Holding his hands to indicate surrender Fred then ran his fingers through his hair before flopping back onto the lawn. Chewing on his lip a moment George tried to think of the best way to word a letter that wouldn't sound like a threat but would get the point across. "You know I don't know what to say," Fred mumbled when asked for help. "You're the more verbally gifted of the two of us."

This was true. George was a wiz when it came to certain areas, words and runes happened to be two of his more nerdy talents. "Just a short inquiry then, about why he never responded," he settled. "Maybe his secretary will pass it on this time?"

"If that's what happened. Let's be honest George the git probably got our letter and burned it as a response." Fred muttered darkly just as the bell tolled, indicating the new hour. Groaning he moved to sit up, and placed his head in his hands. "I will never drink that much again."

George rolled his eyes and leapt to his feet. "Don't lie, doesn't suit you well."

His brother laughed as they started up to the castle. "Fair enough, let's eat and work on that letter. The headache will go away soon enough."

**A quick announcement: Brose is desperately seeking Beta! PM if you're interested!**

**Hopefully you enjoyed this installment! Remember…reading is wonderful, reviews are even better!!! Much love-Brose**


	5. Love and the Alliance

**A/N: I am SO sorry this took forever to get out!! I have been ridiculous busy lately, especially studying for this psych subject test. However I take it next weekend so wish me luck (I'm going to need it!) Anyway I had a tough time with the article and also with the George/Kate scene at the end. I wanted it to be just right, and I think I capture the essence I was looking for. **

**Anyway I hope you enjoy this installment. Just as a reminder I am like any other writer…I enjoy reviews ^_^ A very BIG thank you to everyone who has reviewed and added this story to their favorites and alerts!**

**Disclaimer: I am a poor college student…I do not own HP and incidentally can't afford a lawsuit either**

Chapter 4: Love and the Alliance

_Love and the Empty Broom Closet_

_Is that a Detention Slip in my Bag?_

_Or did some adorable Hufflepuff seventh year just slip me a note? How debonair of you Mr. Charms club member, to slide me a note as we brush shoulders in the hall. Now I have a smile on my face and something to read during History of Magic. Somehow during the ludicrous five minutes allowed to get from one side of the castle to the other, I have been asked out on a date and I didn't even have to take flirting to extreme measures. _

_Granted, hallway exchanges are usually taken place for one of two reasons: first, who has time to cultivate a real romance what with class, homework and various club meetings. Secondly, it's entirely possible that the boy of your dreams is just too nervous and shy to actually talk to you in person. So shoulder brushes, glances and the occasional note toss are a nice alternative to striking up that first awkward conversation. What if, however the art of hallway flirting could be instrumental for a third purpose? Sometimes the object of your affections isn't too shy to make a move, he or she just doesn't know you exist. _

_It's cruel but true, sometimes the love of your next five minutes isn't even aware you're in the same house, much less breath the same air. If going forward and conjuring a conversation out of thin air scares you more than Snape on a shampoo day then there is another option. Make casual eye contact halls, keep it simple a glance here or there when leaving meals or heading into the same classroom. Eye contact is silent and unobtrusive way to alert someone that yes, you are in fact a real human being. The key here is maintaining a locked gaze for a very, very, very short period time…let's say a couple seconds. Outright staring at someone will move you from potential romantic interest to that creepy kid who stares from the other side of the _

_Charms room faster than you can break one of Trelawney's teacups. _

_From there you are ready to graduate into full-fledged hallway flirtations. This is where things happen 'accidentally on purpose.' Take this phrase to heart. Oops! I accidentally bumped into you leaving dinner and spilled your books all over the floor. It's only appropriate to help you pick them up and then please allow me to walk you to the common room. And BAM! Insta-conversation. Your love interest won't even know that you'd been standing around waiting for this opportunity for the last fifteen minutes. _

_Hallways are the perfect place to simply fall into step together and strike up talk about your shared classes, even moan and groan about your latest assignments. You can easily set up study sessions together, make plans to walk to your next Herbology club meeting together and eventually you're at the big moment. What better way to ask someone to the first village visit of the season other than to slip a note into someone's hand or to ask while waiting around for Flitwick to let out his first year charms class? Even if this third option of hallway flirting doesn't get you the big date, it at least allows you to wedge a foot in the door, and really that's all you need to push the whole thing open and keep on walking. _

Kate tucked her copy of the _Herald_ under her arm and made her way into the Great Hall. All of her long hair was swinging freely behind her and she had a bit of a bounce in her step. The second issue had come out on time, mainly because she and Ian had slept in the Dungeon after staying up till two a.m. to get the final draft through the printer. Despite the lack of sleep she always took immense satisfaction in being part of the small crew who scrambled to get each issue out.

Her friends already occupied the usual spot at the Gryffindor table. Fred and George were skimming through some notes, studying for the first time for the Charms test they had today. Alicia and Angelina were talking, heads bent close together over Oliver Wood's monster playbook and Lee was dozing with his head propped by his elbow. Smiling she shook her head and instead veered off the usual path and cut towards the Ravenclaw table. Her objective was to swallow her insecurities and talk to Stephen Delancourt in person.

She had taken great pains with her appearance this morning, forgoing the extra sleep she would have gotten from skipping breakfast. So, skirt freshly ironed and hair in perfect curls she started towards the small section of the table where he held court with his friends. Beneath her ribs her heart was pounding. "You can do this," she muttered to herself just as he looked up at her.

A grin spread across his too handsome face. Her heart and stomach did flip-flops. Really he would have been so much easier to approach if he weren't just so pretty. Then she was within earshot. "Please tell me you're not coming here to talk to someone else," he teased her and a hesitant smile crossed her face.

"No," she drew the word out and finally she was standing in front of him. "I came here to speak to you."

His grin morphed into a smile, and she had to fight the urge to sink into the bench in a swoon. "Good, because I wanted to compliment the article. Charming and funny as usual miss Kelley," he complimented. As he did, he tilted his head to the side and sent a spray of hair across his forehead. The swoon reaction only intensified and she fought the urge to run her fingers through his hair and jump him right there in the Great Hall during breakfast. Was this what every girl felt when talking to Stephen?

"I'm glad you liked it," she said. "And I wanted to thank you for saving Alicia and I on Saturday night. We would have been goners if you hadn't stepped in." Shifting her weight onto her right leg she watched his eyes rake down and follow the swish of her non-regulation length skirt before returning to her face. Well, she figured, even if he is an Adonis among men he's still a guy.

Leaning back a little he crossed his arms over his chest before shrugging. "Well I couldn't let the damsels in distress get caught, it would be simply barbaric of me." Although his voice held a teasing note, she could see in his facial expression that he was being honest. Then in a sudden motion he held a hand out to the empty spot next to him. "Please join me for breakfast."

Kate didn't even think twice, she did the best she could to smooth her skirt as she sat down next to him. "I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a damsel, more helper to a very drunk friend," she said and then reached for a blueberry muffin.

Stephen poured her a goblet full of pumpkin juice and chuckled. "That's far too common miss Kelley. Let's call you perhaps the Savior of the Inebriated?"

The smile that had been threatening her since the start of their exchange broke out across her face. "You don't find that too ostentatious for me? I was really returning a favor. Alicia has taken care of me more times than I'd care to admit." Kate said while peeling the wrapper off her muffin. It was a rather weak attempt on her part to keep from staring openly at Stephen's face.

Rubbing his fingers past his chin, Stephen feigned deep thought before brushing a stray curl from her shoulder. Blush immediately blossomed in Kate's cheeks as she looked up at him wide-eyed. "Perhaps then you will just be the beautiful Gryffindor writer who I simply could not bear to see in trouble."

Looking down she swore that her heart was about to come clean out of her ribcage. "And they say chivalry is dead," she said and then lifted her head to see him smiling broadly at her.

* * * * *

George wasn't really even aware he had been mangling his orange until a hand reached out to stay the action. Startled at the sudden contact with reality he turned his head to find Alicia Spinnet's eyes darting between the destroyed orange and his face. "Fruit has feelings too George," she said with a trace of amusement. Then, with a flick of her fingers, she tossed her light brown braid over her shoulder and leaned closer to him. "What on earth has you in such a bad mood?"

Biting back the urge to laugh at her, he simply shrugged his shoulder. "I have no idea what you're talking about Alicia." He was going for irritating and imperious. What came out was an obvious cover-up for his rather foul temper.

Of course he knew what was wrong. There were quite a few things he could point to that were wrong. First, he and his brother had lost their life savings to a crooked man whom had zero intention of paying them back. Second, his favorite quidditch team had been flattened against the Texas Tornados last night. Third he was absolutely going out of mind with boredom in half his classes. Yet, when it really came down to it he knew that none of those things were the reason for his methodic and guilt-free fruit mutilation.

Every single ounce of his bad mood was bottled up and directed at Stephen Delancourt. Because he had gone and mucked up George's nice little morning routine for the last three days. Normally it wasn't Alicia sitting next to him, but Kate Kelley. In the mornings she would always toy with lines from her column and he would lean over, giving her corrections and stealing food from her plate. Sometimes she would be so tired that instead of eating she would just lean against him with her head on his shoulder and nap. George rather liked this sequence of events and the fact that she had been trying to work up the courage to talk to that simpering little twit had thrown a huge wrench in his mood.

"You're such an awful liar George." Alicia muttered under her breath but let it go for the moment. Sighing he returned to the remaining pieces of his orange and began to eat them. This was a fact he was very well aware of. Fred had inherited all the ability to lie. After all, he was the one who always did the talking to get them out of any tight situation. George just came up with the stories for his brother to use.

So what if he was lying to Alicia? It wasn't like he was going to just come out and admit the truth to her. Nobody had actual verbal confirmation of this particular secret, not even his brother. So what if he wanted to kick the ever-living magic out of Delancourt for just talking to Kate? She was entirely unaware of his feelings for her, so why would she stop and think of him before going off and dating another guy?

Forget the fact that he'd been planning to tell her at the Founder's Day Party. Clearly his brother's needs came before his own romantic inclinations and desires. Because God forbid Fred manage to handle an argument with Angelina on his own. Certainly that was more important than the fact that instead of him taking the fall to keep Kate and Alicia from getting in trouble on Saturday night, it was Stephen sodding Delancourt.

The same Ravenclaw who had apparently just said something quite amusing to Kate, given the sight of her laughing. She had tossed her head back, sending her curls bouncing over her shoulders, shining in the weak September morning. Anger and jealousy began to claw uncomfortably in his stomach and chest. Each time she would reach out and touch his forearm resting on the table or he would brush her hair from her shoulders he wanted to go over there and beat his pretty face into a pulp. It was his job to make her laugh, and the fact that someone else was doing it quite effectively did not go well with anger or jealousy.

"George have you even been remotely listening at all to what we've been talking about?" Lee's voice snapped him harshly back to reality yet again. Tilting his head back to face his friends he noticed they were all peering over a spread in the newspaper. There was a picture of the Ireland quidditch team looking positively ashen in response to their loss against Texas.

"Don't remind me. Apparently winning a world cup is not a clear indication of talent," he gestured to the picture.

Angelina rolled her eyes and leaned across the table, smacking her palm against the side of his head. "You dolt you haven't been listening at all," she said in confirmation to Lee's observation.

Fred patted him on the back and tapped his finger against a small square near the bottom of the Prophet sports page. "Wood's been featured as the September player of the month. Article here says he has some of the most promising talent they've seen in the professional ring in years." Interested in something that might divert his mood he shifted the page so he could read the small print.

As he did so the bell for classes began to ring. "I'll finish it later," he mumbled and then gathered his things to leave. As he did, he wondered absently if Delancourt would be walking Kate to class as well. Not bothering to wait and see he left the hall before his friends were ready. All except for Alicia.

"George wait up!" She called and he sighed, but slowed down anyway. The small girl fell into step next to him, her blue eyes very inquisitive. "So I think I know something you don't want me to know." Was all she had to say to reignite his temper. Really, he didn't exactly care what she did and did not know.

"Alicia as you mentioned earlier my mood isn't exactly conducive to you being a know-it-all." To her credit she didn't even appear phased by his less than pleasant zing. Instead she continued to walk upstairs with him toward Ancient Runes.

"I first began to wonder last year. You know you always sit next to each other at breakfast and you save her a seat in shared classes. It wasn't until Fred told me that you save every copy of the paper did I begin to put the pieces together." George was now grinding his teeth to fight the sudden surge of panic in his veins. Alicia being a borderline genius did not exactly work in his favor on this certain subject matter. "When I saw you greet her on the platform this year I was totally convinced. Yet now I'm walking with you wondering why you aren't even remotely doing anything to stop Delancourt."

At the mention of that idiot's name he knew that she was indeed well aware. In a quick motion he grabbed the strap of her bag and pulled her into the first empty hallway he saw. Pulling her near the wall so his back was to the student populace he narrowed his eyes at her. "So help me Alicia if you tell a soul I will prank you starting that day and then everyday after for the rest of your life. Don't think I won't do it."

But little genius Alicia was hardly phased by his comment. "Right, like I'd run off and tell the whole school subsequently hurting two of my favorite people. Give me a little more credit George."

His tense muscles relaxed, but not enough. "How can I be sure?"

Rolling her eyes she shifted her weight and then her face took that pinched, irritated expression she sometimes had. "I fancy the pants of Justin Boot, want to date him, marry him, have his kids the whole nine yards. And if you tell anyone about that I would be mortified beyond all recognition. So we're even. I won't tell if you don't." Then she held out a hand to him.

Arching a brow he crossed his arms tighter over his chest. "So what are you going to help me out and vice versa?"

Lowering her hand she shrugged her shoulders. "If you like I can. I won't divulge information from private conversations or anything like that but I'll certainly put in good words for you without being too obvious."

"How do I know you won't be obvious?"

"Because I'm a genius George, and I'm pretty well versed in social etiquette. Have a little faith please?" This time he held out his hand.

"Alright, deal. I'll help you, you help me." Grasping his hand they shook and then turned to leave the hall. Just then Kate Kelley paused to wait for them.

His body had warring reactions. The glowing smile on her face only served to make her features light up, causing Kate to look quite lovely which his body was certainly appreciative of. Then the dark side of his nature reared its ugly head reminding him of why she was smiling like that in the first place. Alicia placed a delicate elbow to his side and he shook off both sides and offered what he hoped was a neutral smile. "What were you guys doing down in that hallway?" She asked curiously.

"Just exchanging some notes, no big deal." Alicia said breezily, covering for them both. "So do you have the latest issue?" She asked eagerly and then with a more satisfied expression, Kate handed her the newest Herald.

* * * * *

About a dozen order forms were spread out on the floor of George's dorm. The record book he kept of every order and the monetary value was open on his lap. Right now he should have been recording the orders and balancing their growing account. Fred was trying to place an order for more materials for joke wands but didn't want to spend the money unless they had it. The demand for the objects was growing so large that George was beginning to think it was time to institute a pay up front policy.

Of course, that was the last thing on his mind. Instead he had been going over and over what he and Alicia had talked about earlier. So now she knew, his one confederate to his feelings for Kate. Right now he was still unsure as to how he felt about that but he figured one person couldn't hurt. Later that afternoon he'd asked her exactly when she knew and Alicia had repeated that she put it all together on the platform. Now that he was alone and had a little time to spare he leaned against the footboard of his bed and tried to remember the beginning of the year.

It wasn't so hard to do.

_Fred went through the barrier first and George was quick to follow. His family, including Hermione Granger and Harry Potter, surrounded them. George was immensely fond of the two plus his family he had been itching to get away from them all morning. Being stuck with them in a taxi wasn't exactly the most ideal way for him to spend his morning. _

_"Right well we're off, got business to deal with Lee you know?" Fred said as a means to get the out of having to stand around and go through the motions of the teary goodbye. It wasn't as if they weren't ever going to see their family again. Somehow, miraculously he and his brother managed to get a fairly short goodbye from their mum, who of course was dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief. _

_Leaning in closer to his twin he jabbed an elbow into his arm. "Let's go before she decides one goodbye isn't enough." And as inconspicuously as possible they slid away from their family and into the crowd of people. His eyes glazed over familiar faces of friends saying goodbye to family members and first years looking incredibly _

_small and nervous before the train. It was the same every year. _

_"Did you see Lee yet?" Fred asked over his shoulder as he led the way. _

_George made to shake his head until he saw the flash of dark dreadlocks. "Yeah he's over there. No to your left idiot." Almost as soon as the brothers changed courses to meet their friend he spotted them too. _

_"Oil! It's about time you showed up. Been waiting for a half hour for you two to get here." Lee Jordan had a wide grin on his face. His skin was, if possible, darker from his summer spent seaside with his family. Already his trolley was gone and George figured his trunk was now saving an empty compartment for them. "Girls are already on board. How did the World Cup go? I'd say I was jealous but," his voice trailed off uncomfortably as he spotted the copy of the prophet that Fred had rolled up under his arm. _

_"Game was brilliant mate! You should see the way the Ireland chasers fly." Fred said, a grin stretching across his face. Diffusing awkward situations was a Weasley twin specialty. _

_"Not so sure about the post game entertainment though. Could have toned that down a bit y'know?" George said and then started pushing his trolley towards the train. With Lee's help the boys managed to get their trunks hauled onto the scarlet steam engine and into their compartment. Which incidentally was empty. "Thought you said the girls were already on the train?" Aside from a few extra trunks there was no evidence that a single one of their friends were present. _

_Running his fingers through his dark dreads Lee gave his shoulders a casual shrug. Fred had already flopped down on one bench, stretching his legs out to take up as much space as possible. "No idea," Lee started. _

_"Well at least we can enjoy a few moments of blissful silence before they muck it up with all of their gossip and chattering," Fred said lethargically, and rest his hands behind his head. Rolling his eyes George sat down on the opposite side, Lee plunking down next to him. _

_"I have to say, the quiet is a nice alternative." Lee agreed and just when George was about to say something a shadow fell over the doorway. _

_"Alternative to what? Angelina stepped over the threshold. George had to bit his lip to hold in his laugher. Fred shot up as if someone had cast a spell igniting a fire beneath him. Sliding over he made room for Angelina, patting the red cushion next to him. Offering a slightly sarcastic smile, the chaser instead took the post near the window on the other side of Lee. _

_"It couldn't possibly be an alternative to our fantastic and informative conversation." Alicia Spinnet noted with a soft smile, her brown hair tumbling in unrestrained waves over her shoulders. _

_A final person stepped in and George felt his body go rigid. By now he should have been completely used to seeing her. However it was the first time since the end of last year and he had honestly forgotten just how lovely he found Kate Kelley to be. Especially in the white shorts she wore which conveniently showed off her killer tan. Vaguely he remembered her saying she'd gone to Greece for the summer with family. All that sun had done well by her, especially highlighting the almost white blonde streaks in her champagne hair. "Really I think we're rather fun to talk to. One can only converse about quidditch and proper broom maintenance so much," she said with a rakish wink. _

_Alicia had just pulled away from a hug with Lee and she reached over hugging George. Absently he wrapped his arms around her, he was truly happy to see the girl but he was totally captivated by Kate. "Ladies." Fred said with a roughish grin. _

_"Do I get a hug too George?" Kate asked as she wrangled herself away from Fred. Getting to his feet George nodded and closed his eyes as her arms slipped so easily over his shoulders. Tentatively he brought his own around her narrow waist and pulled her in close. Although he tried not to, he couldn't help but subtly inhale the sweet combination of her perfume and shampoo, she smelled like lavender and honey and almonds. "Missed you," she said and gave him one last squeeze before pulling away and settling between Alicia and Fred. _

_Dazed and almost unable to keep the very stupid smile from his face he floated back down to his seat. For a while he was silent as he took in their rare moment of physical contact. For him it was impossible to not feel love drunk after catching her very unique scent. All he really wanted to do was settle her in his lap so he could bury his nose against her neck and in her hair. Well, at least among other things. _

_Somewhere during the conversation he was trying to participate and then looked up to find Kate looking at him. Offering what he hoped was his best smile he watched her own mouth turn up in a beautiful arc. Her eyes crinkled a little around the corners and he could see the warmth just radiating from them. It was the smile she used when she was really and truly happy._

A knock on his dormitory door roused him from his daydreaming. Sitting up a little straighter he shook his head clear. "Come in," he said to his visitor and turned his eyes back to his order forms. At least he could pretend to look busy. The door opened and in his peripheral he saw a pair of worn, but comfortable looking house shoes. They were almost completely obscured by the pair of plaid pajama pants that Kate was wearing.

His head probably stuttered and skipped a beat as he took her in. All of her curls from earlier were tied back in a ponytail and her glasses were perched on her nose again. "Am I bothering you from business?" She asked curiously and he sat that she had a notebook and her Runes textbook pressed against her chest.

Shaking his head he quickly shoved everything aside, scattering the forms out of order as he did so and snapping his record book shut before he remembered to mark his place. "No, no it's nothing that can't wait," he said amicably and tried to forget the image of her talking to Delancourt earlier. It was very difficult to reconcile the confident Kate in a short skirt who flirted with boys with the one who was wearing pajama pants and a solid black long sleeved shirt. Right now she looked simply adorable, so much younger and sweeter than the sharp mouthed sixteen year old that she was.

"Okay good, do you think you could give me a hand with Runes?" She asked and walked further into his room. Carefully she kneeled down and set her books down before finally sitting cross-legged, right next to him. "I'm having the worst time with these grammatical translations and I know you totally understood what Professor Ismov was talking about," she started and he held up a hand to silence her.

"Just let me grab my stuff. We'll finish it together," he said and with a flick of his wand his Runes materials left his desk and zoomed around to him.

Breathing out a sigh of relief she opened her notes and to the rather impressive and large worksheet they'd been given earlier in class. "You're a life saver George. I owe you big time." Against his will, his mind immediately flitted to all the possible ways she could owe him. Unfortunately most of them were so remote they'd never happen and also involved the removal of most of their clothing. Feeling his cheeks get hotter at the mere thought of those things he threw open the cover to his textbook and rifled through until he reached the chapter they'd been studying.

"Don't mention it Kate," he said, praying that his tone was even.

If she noticed anything off Kate said nothing. Instead she opened her own book and then began to launch into the areas she didn't understand and pointed out the spots on her worksheet that were blank, or where her answers were wrong. "I just don't understand why I'm having a difficult time recognizing the different past tense verbs. I think I get the pieces but when I try to put the whole puzzle together, I just get a mess." Kate said and then gave a despairing sigh.

Gently he bumped his shoulder against hers. "Do not fret dear Kate. We will straighten out this whole mess. Under one condition," he held up a finger to signify.

A smile toyed at the corners of her mouth. "We've been over this a hundred times George, I am not going to give you mandatory massages after every quidditch practice or game. Nor am I going to address you as 'your most noble highness," she teased and then laughed when he reached out to ruffle her hair.

"I'll get those massages someday," he playfully growled before turning to a mock somber face. "I have a reputation to protect lovely Kate. I would have to have it ruined by you telling everyone you know that I tutored you in a subject."

Chuckling she pushed the sleeves of her shirt up and nodded. Trying to be as serious as he managed was impossible. George watched her try before dissolving into giggles. "Alright, alright. I'll continue to let you pretend that you're not nearly as smart as you actually are." There was a pause. "You know if might be cool, to be funny and smart all the time."

"Like you wouldn't know anything about that miss witty romance columnist." George then reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead. The motion sent a thrill down his spine and he reveled in the pleasure before trying to divert his attention again. "Alright onto Runes."

For the next half hour he carefully went over the details of their sets of notes along with the book. Step by step he broke down the concepts of the grammar they'd learned and he watched in satisfaction as she listened to every word he said. Slowly they managed to get through their worksheets. "I can't believe I thought this stuff was hard," she said after they finished.

George held his breath as she suddenly reached across him to pick up his sheet of notes. "It's nothing really difficult, but sometimes Professor Ismov is confusing." He offered to make her feel better. Kate stopped mid reach and tilted her head to look up at him. A small smile toyed on her face. They were mere inches away from each other. It would be so tantalizingly easy to just lean forward and kiss her.

"Or maybe you're just a really good teacher," she said gently. In George's mind they were already making out by now. In reality though she pulled away back to her original position. "Do you mind if I copy down your notes? They just make so much more sense than mine."

Shaking his head he took a deep breath to calm the spinning in his mind. "No, go ahead. What's mine is yours right?"

And then Kate did something he did not expect. After she gathered her things up she leaned across the divide and pressed her lips to his cheek. He felt as if he'd been shocked. Her mouth was warm and soft, just how he thought it would be. "You're the best George." And then she got up and left with a sweet goodbye.

As soon as the door shut he placed his hand against the spot she had just kissed. "Fred's right," he mumbled, completely dazed. "I am hopeless."

**Yay for cute George and Kate! I had a lot of fun exploring George's other range of emotions. Anyway I do hope you enjoyed reading this one. Next chapter is a bit hazy on the direction and details so it might be a while before it's posted. **

**I love you all for reading…I will love you even more if you review!**


	6. Love and the Secret Crush

**A/N: Inspiration struck me and I simply had to write this chapter. Bet you though you wouldn't see quidditch here did you? But do you really think that Angelina would just let her maniacal impulses rest for an entire year? **

**More George angst and another twist to give the plot a little more conflict and body. I hope it's not too left field to work. If not then I'll figure a way to write it out. The romantic parts are actually set to happen quite early in the story but I can't just let them happen with no friction at all can I? Of course not ^_^**

**Lots of thanks to reviewers, alerts and favorites…you are the reason why this chapter got out so fast! Virtual cookies for those who review!**

**Disclaimer: You know what's mine and what isn't**

Chapter 5: Love and the Secret Crush

"I'm late! I know I'm late! I'm so sorry!" Kate's voice tumbled out of her mouth as she skidded to a halt in front of the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. Cara and Jennelyn arched a brow as they regarded her appearance. Impatiently she smoothed her waves and finished pulling her cloak on before securing her light silk scarf. Huffing she pulled her wand out and with a quick flick of her wrist banished her books back to her dormitory.

"What took you so long?" Jennelyn asked as she started to lead the party of three. "I told Cho we'd be on time to catch the start of the match." Frowning Kate linked her arm through Cara's and finished smoothing out the rest of her ruffled exterior.

"Senior staff meeting ran overtime. I sprinted from the News Dungeon to meet you guys." Breathing out she shook her head. "I'll have just enough time to watch the first half of the match before serving my detention with McGonagall," she added with an unpleasant expression.

Cara bit back her smile and instead reached over and pushed her sister's hair from her face and then straightened the toggles on her cloak. "What do you have detention for?" She asked curiously. It wasn't unheard of but certainly a rare occasion for Kate to be in trouble.

"I was late getting to her class on Wednesday morning. Again the stupid paper kept me up all night and I slept a little late. But she never accepts paper business as an excuse for anything." Kate said and the pair caught up with Jennelyn who was walking at an almost inhuman pace. "Jeez Jenn I'm beginning to think that you aren't going out there to just watch the match." Kate teased and watched curiously as the furious red blush blossomed on her friend's cheeks. Her jaw dropped open and dragging Cara along, all but skipped up to join her.

Holding her head a little higher Jennelyn huffed out a heavy breath and then shook her head. "I have no idea what you're talking about Kate," she said and then turned her face away to hide her furious blush.

Cara's eyes lit up in recognition and she leaned forward with her sister and giggled. "Something tells me she's way interested in a particular player. But who could it be? Surely it's not Davies." They started their way down the staircase that led to the entrance to the Great Hall. Kate shared a look with her sister as Jennelyn tried to out walk them again. Both sisters arched their brows, Jennelyn was normally too focused on school for boys.

"Please give me a little bit of credit." Jennelyn said over her shoulder, her voice mirroring her personal disgust. Roger Davies was a notorious serial dater among the Ravenclaw seventh years. "Just because he's quidditch captain doesn't mean he's God's gift to women."

Chuckling, Kate jogged right behind her and tugged one of Jennelyn's long braids and tried to extinguish the horrified look in her friend's eyes. "Okay no Davies. And it's none of the younger boys, unless it's the famous Harry Potter!" A squeal of denial popped out of Jennelyn's mouth and she shook her head violently, pushing open the door to the outside.

The mid October weather gusted past them and sent chills running down Kate's spine. She was glad to be wearing a second layer over the rest of her clothes. The cold snap was early this year and Kate privately hoped it wasn't an indication of a frigid winter to come; she hated being cold. Together the three of them began their course for the pitch. "Definitely not the boy who lived. Please he's a baby."

"Fourteen isn't a total baby, but yes I agree too young."

"Besides can you imagine the look on Hermione Granger's face if her holier than thou best friend dated an older woman?" Cara asked rhetorically giggling madly. Kate chuckled, trying to imagine the very uptight girl in her mind. Only last week she had come through the common room rattling a tin can asking for donations to promote the welfare of House Elves. As politely as possible Kate had refused, she was immensely fond of her family elf and saw no reason to upset the poor creature by offering wages and vacations.

The girls were practically jogging to make it before the start of the match. "It couldn't be a Weasley twin could it?" Kate mused. It was remote and almost unbelievable but almost as soon as she said it Jennelyn's blush intensified and she looked away to hide her discomfort. The Gryffindor girl's jaw dropped. "I hope for your sake it's not Fred," she murmured. "Angelina will kill you."

"It's not Fred and if you say anything I'll murder you in your bed, both of you." Jennelyn growled in warning.

Suddenly making fun of Jennelyn for her crush was not an appealing idea. Part of Kate's good mood had suddenly and inexplicably disappeared. Although she had no rational reason, she strongly disliked the idea of George and Jennelyn dating. The image made her feel as if she'd swallowed sour milk and could feel it trailing down her throat. "I didn't know you felt that way about him," she swallowed a mouthful of clean air, hoping it would erase the unease in her system.

Of all the people she could imagine Jennelyn dating, George Weasley wasn't even close to her top five. If personalities could be mapped on a line they would be sitting on complete opposite sides. Jennelyn did all of her homework early and to perfection. She disapproved of exchanging notes and hated classroom disruptions. George was loud and occasionally obnoxious, but he was also incredibly laid back. Very few things fazed the Gryffindor and he disapproved of even less.

"It just sort of started this year. We've spent so much time with those boys lately that I just started noticing how sweet he is and he's shockingly intelligent." Jennelyn mused as an afterthought, only it came out more insulting than she'd probably intended. Frowning, Kate turned to see Cara's mouth slightly agape.

"So this has nothing to do with the fact that George is one of the most popular boys in school? Or the fact that he is one half of an incredibly attractive duo?" Cara challenged, a slight frown turning on her features. Kate struggled with a new picture of the pair holding hands in the village. Again she fought the irrational need to separate them.

Jennelyn stopped abruptly in her tracks and turned the full force of her glare on Cara. "No it's not about popularity and looks," she spat. Then a pause in her features gave way to her next admission with a soft sigh. "But I have to concede to you on one score. Fred and George Weasley are incredibly good looking."

"What?" Kate asked, trying to pick up the thread in their conversation. Since when did her best friend take notice of cheeky red heads that ran around the castle torturing Filch at every opportunity?

Jennelyn rolled her eyes as they started up the stair of the stands. "Oh come on, even miss 'I eat breakfast with Stephen Delancourt twice a week' can admit that the Weasley twins are incredibly dishy." Her tone of voice was imperious, as if she was trying to put Kate in her place. This wasn't an unusual occurrence with Jennelyn; the one thing they clashed on the most was their diverging views of boys.

But Kate could clearly imagine the Weasley boys. Both of them stood at just less than six foot tall and were the mirror image. Their flaming red hair was threaded through with darker auburn and fell across their foreheads in a rather disheveled manner. They were broad through the shoulder, which tapered down to a narrow but firm waist. Every time Kate hugged George she could feel the abundance of muscle that made up his frame, she knew how strong he was. His smile was broad and white, and he had a single dimple that showed itself whenever he was laughing. Yes, she reasoned, George was incredibly good looking.

But she didn't have time to say anything; they had just joined the rest of the small group of students who had come out to watch the scrimmage match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. A player zoomed towards them. A smile lit her face. Stephen Delancourt banished any image of anyone else as he hovered low before them. "Evening ladies," he said with his usual charming lilt.

Jennelyn disapproved of Delancourt and leaned away, searching the skies for someone else. Cara merely smiled and took in his very athletic figure while he spoke primarily to Kate. "Stephen," she said and he grinned.

"Think you can manage to cheer for your house team and me at the same time?" He questioned her and then lowered his broom enough to drop something in her hand.

This time it was Kate's turn to blush. "I think I can manage." With that he tipped his head to her and flew off. She looked down at the object in her palm. A chocolate rose bud wrapped in rose gold foil. The Honeyduke's confection was comprised of milk chocolate and held a sweet champagne cream in the center. It happened to be Kate's favorite chocolate.

"Someone's done his homework." Cara muttered with a slightly smug grin.

Across the distance of the pitch Alicia and Angelina were watching the exchange and leaned over to whisper to each other along with Katie Bell. Kate could just barely see the critical eyes and smiles on their faces. Fred however pretended to swoon into George's eyes. His twin laughed and zoomed away just in time for Fred to fall into almost thin air. This provoked a stream of loud curses, which set the other girls laughing. Harry Potter was leaning on his broom for support hovering next to the Gryffindor reserve keeper Anton Lourdes. Grumbling she decided to ignore her less than supportive friends and instead turned to see Jennelyn watching George with a quite rapt expression.

"Let's just get the stupid match started," she said absently to Cara who had leaned against the bench behind her, looking casual and confident as usual.

"Please, you're just upset because Delancourt decided to take things up a notch. Shouldn't you be excited about his rather public display of preference?" There was a pause as Kate mulled the words over. Yes, yes she should be excited but she was still seeing red for some reason. "I mean, I've never seen him do that for any girl before."

Almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth the twins zoomed by. "Oi Kate remember which team to root for, the ones in red!" Fred teased and pointed his bat menacingly at her. Yet there was a teasing smile on his face and behind him George pretended to bat his eyelashes.

"Good looks have nothing to do with talent, don't forget it." He said with a wink, tossing something to her and then both of them looped the pitch just in time for the match to start. Opening her hand she found a piece of parchment magically folded into a hopping frog. It even gave a ribbit, which startled her. Laughing she carefully cradled the frog in her palms, and did not miss Jennelyn's bemused expression in her peripheral.

The action was heavy immediately. Ravenclaw had possession first but Fred and George were a force to be reckoned with. Bludgers flew hard and accurate at the chasers until finally their third year Christa Milkin lost her grip and it tumbled into Angelina's hands. There was nothing in the world quite like watching the three Gryffindor girls work together. Weaving in a seamless formation they passed back and forth with an ease that came naturally. However, getting the quaffle past Davies was a completely different story, he was an excellent keeper. And so the game raged on.

Kate always found herself most occupied by watching the seekers in the game. She loved to see how they flew so easily, able to narrowly avoid play and not inhibit it. Cho and Harry were both excellent examples of good stock, their talent branching from some unreal inherent ability. The Ravenclaw seeker tailed Harry through the majority of the match when suddenly he dove. All the spectators were on their feet as he plummeted for the ground and reached his hand out.

"It's a fake." Jennelyn muttered and was correct as he pulled sharply out of the dive. Cho barely managed to tip her broom upward and her toes skimmed the grass, slowing her ascent back above game play.

"These scrimmage matches were an excellent idea!" Cara said over the cheering of the small group. A smile was lit across her glowing face. Leaning over the railing she eagerly watched as her team sent a quaffle straight through the far left hoop, Anton's greatest weakness.

Angelina was yelling directions out to her team as play picked up further. "It certainly gives us something to do!" Kate said and then compulsively checked her watch. With a sigh she noted it was time to head back for her detention. "I've got to go meet McGonagall. Keep me posted with what happens, I'll see you all in the kitchens tonight?"

Cara and Jennelyn both nodded and she walked away, picking up the pace so she was a few minutes early instead of late. In her hand the little frog gave another ribbit and Kate bit back a small smile. The chocolate Stephen gave her was nice, but she rather liked her little frog.

* * * * *

Fighting the impulse to aim every single Bludgers at Stephen Delancourt was almost unbearable. For the last four weeks George had been looking for every reason in the world to embarrass and beat that sniveling little git. His motive however, was unknown to all of his friends save Alicia and apparently Fred who had been dropping hints that he knew. Then again, George was being a little less than subtle these days. The frog he'd tossed to her before play was just one of a few things he'd been doing to catch her attention.

Of course paper frogs and carrying her books didn't really compare to expensive chocolate roses. Nor did his smiles and jokes stack up well against Delancourt's pretty looks and how he shoved aside all other people twice a week to eat breakfast with her. Rumors flying around school weren't helping him much either. Apparently Stephen hadn't been spotted with a single girl anywhere in the stupid castle unless they were studying for classes. All of his excuses for her not to date him were dissolving rapidly. How on earth was he supposed to get the girl of his dreams when she was completely captivated by the poster child for wizarding perfection?

Pranks and constant wisecracks were not the way to romance the romance columnist. George had never pegged her for a traditional romantic but even he had been known to be wrong. The only saving grace he had was the fact that he helped her with her Runes and Transfiguration work throughout the week. In exchange she kept their sessions secret and gave him all her Arithmancy notes and helped him with pre-NEWT level potions. It was a nice exchange, and for once he wasn't abysmally tanking in potions class. Even Snape hadn't had a nasty comment to give on his attempts at an emotion altering draught this past week.

However the title of best friend/tutor was not in his line of interest. George didn't want to just see Kate when she had a school problem or in the Great Hall in the mornings. He definitely didn't want to see her come into the common room late from being with Stephen and he certainly was wildly opposed to her going on the first village visit of the year with him.

So when Delancourt didn't show to the post match gathering in the kitchens he took it as a good opportunity to make a move. Kate had just come in from detention and an apparent stop to freshen up. Instead of being bogged down by the layers she would wear outside she was in jeans and a thin green sweater. She sat at one of the long tables with Cara and Jennelyn, discussing what she missed during the match. George heaved a sigh, he was unsure of how to approach. On the one hand he wanted to talk to Kate but Jennelyn was also there.

George wasn't blind nor was he an idiot; he had recognized the signs of Jennelyn's interest almost immediately. It was as if the girl had taken pointers straight from all the articles Kate wrote this year. She'd been finding him in the halls and making excuses to approach the Gryffindor table, with out without Kate. She had even started coming around more and more when the whole group got together. Somehow Jennelyn managed to end up talking to George or sitting near him, a lot. He was fond of Jennelyn, she was smart and attractive but her nature was far to scrutinizing and critical. George preferred his girls a bit more laid back and receptive to his occasionally quite stupid brand of humor. He really didn't want to lead her on, that was not the type of person he was.

Then again there was Kate who was tossing her sheets of straight hair away from her face as she laughed with Cara. The sisters leaned close together and watched as Jennelyn animatedly explained something from the match. Steeling a deep breath he left his post with Fred and Angelina and started towards the girls.

Almost as soon as he got within noticeable distance the girls looked up. A bright smile crossed both Jennelyn's and Kate's faces. In Jennelyn's case it was more hopeful, maybe he was indeed coming to talk to her. To some degree of satisfaction there was no hope in Kate's face, just a large amount of glowing pleasure. She was just really happy to see him approaching, which in a way was all he could ask from his best friend.

"What brings you this way?" Cara inquired and moved with the other two girls to allow him room to join. Swirling the glass of Firewhiskey around in his glass he grinned widely at him.

"Anything has got to be better than listening to Angelina and Fred go on and on and on." His voice drug out to emphasize the point earning a giggle from Jennelyn and a knowing smile from Kate. Aside from Alicia there wasn't another soul who listened to him complain about his brother and Angelina more than Kate.

Jenn patted the stool next to her and he awkwardly took the seat, wishing that Cara had moved over to allow him next to Kate. "They'll get together one of these days. And speaking of together anyone seen Lee or Katie?" Kate's face took on a very mischievous look.

Swiveling around he tried to locate his friends but to no avail, they were indeed nowhere to be found. "Probably digging around for a few minutes of actual privacy, it's hard to get around here." Cara muttered and then sipped her pumpkin juice thoughtfully.

"Is it weird to see them together? I mean I guess I just didn't see it coming." Kate mused, shifting on her stool a bit. Her fingers absently threaded about the long gold necklaces she wore, toying with the little crystals that winked along the chains.

Shrugging his shoulders he did not fight the impulse to reach out and still her fidgeting hands. Her long fingers stilled under the touch, they were warm and he could feel her soft skin run beneath his thumbs. Instantly he dropped his hands and shrugged. "Suppose not, he only talks about her all the time. If they're happy then I'm happy." Which to a certain extent was true, George would have really preferred Lee not talk about certain particulars of his new relationship to his friends though.

Shouting behind them indicated that the fighting portion of the evening had begun. This time it seemed that Fred had gotten angry with Angelina. "Speaking of being together." Jennelyn muttered darkly under her breath. "Will they ever stop fighting?"

"Unlikely, it seems to just be their prerogative." George said and drained his glass. Getting the opportunity to actually talk to Kate was going to be next to impossible. Especially when Jennelyn re-routed the conversation topic to her favor.

"So Kate that rose Stephen got you was so sweet wasn't it!" She gushed and George felt the familiar feelings of jealous scrape out his insides like he was a pumpkin being gutted. The blush on her face was a common sign of Kate's happy embarrassment.

"Yeah, I wasn't aware that he knew what my favorite chocolate was," she said gently. George knew chocolate roses with champagne cream were her favorite. Someday when he had the money he would buy one for every day of the year for her. Unfortunately today was not that day and she was not talking about him.

Jennelyn gave a little 'ooo' of interest. "So do you think he'll ask you to the village visit in November?" Her voice had taken on a crooning tone, and George wondered where the behavior was coming from. It was very different from what he knew of Jennelyn. Even Kate and Cara seemed confused and uncomforted by her departure from her normal behavior.

Leaning away a little Kate defensively crossed her arms over her chest. "We eat breakfast together twice a week and study together sometimes. Tonight was the first indication he's ever given me of his romantic interest."

The grumbling ball of jealousy in his body gave a small sigh of relief. At least he hadn't been making big moves unknown to him. Alicia's intelligence had been correct, and she was his primary informant on how things were progressing. He made a mental note to thank her later. "Really we're probably boring poor George to death over here. There's really nothing to talk about," she added very embarrassed. There was no amount of gold on the planet he wouldn't have given to know what she was thinking at that moment.

"Hardly dying over here. I mean Delancourt is just so dreamy, especially the way his golden locks drift over his ocean blue eyes," he raised his voice to a falsetto and dropped the back of his hand over his forehead.

All of the girls laughed. "I didn't know you felt that way George." Kate joked reaching out to poke his shoulder.

"I just can't get enough of him." He continued his charade, provoking further laughter.

"Well I'll be sure to step out of the way and give you a clear shot, he's all yours." Through her laughter Kate managed to swat away his hand when he went to hug her in thanks. "You're so ridiculous," she teased and then gave in hugging him.

"It's all just part of the charm," he said puffing his chest out.

Cara rolled her eyes but was smiling. "So that's what they call it these days." Kate replied and then drained her wine. Getting to her feet she made to leave. "I'm off for a refill, anyone want anything."

George looked down at his empty glass, kismet is a gift he figured and got up. "I'll join you."

Together they crossed the cavernous kitchens. "I remember the last time we were refilling drinks you were drilling me about knowing too much gossip." Kate murmured as they made it to the line of bottles the elves set out.

"I like this scenario much better." George replied warmly. Looking up she gave him her 'happy to be' smile again.

"Me too."

"So are you really interested in Delancourt?" He asked her, unable to even stop the words.

Shrugging she began to rifle through the different wines set out. "I don't know maybe. I'm a bit worried about his reputation you know? Plus I don't really know if I want to date anyone right now." As she moved her curtain of hair fell over her shoulder. Reaching out to push it away, George was not shy in letting his fingers cross the side of her neck. For a moment everything was still as her iron-grey eyes regarded him for a moment. "Why do you have an opinion too? Because the rest of the world seems to."

It was a make it or break it moment and George knew he had to say the one thing he didn't want to. "You're free to date whomever you please. I guess I just have a hard time seeing you with someone like Delancourt."

Arching a brow she stopped her search for wine and instead leaned against the counter regarding her curiously. "Really? How so?"

Wringing his hands he gave her a grin. "We've been friends for a long time Kate, and I think I know you well enough to make a subjective evaluation. Delancourt is too concerned with keeping social appearances and isn't very laid back you know? I just see you with someone who has a better sense of humor and doesn't mind a little embarrassment for the benefit of others." As he spoke he drew in closer until suddenly they were very close.

"That seems pretty specific." Kate said and didn't even flinch with his hand came to rest on the top of her arm. "Anyone you had in mind for me oh wise match maker?"

Rolling his eyes he was about to go on further when a voice cut through the air. "Kate, I have been looking all over this sodding castle for you!"

Normally George was all right with Ian Haynes. Right now he wanted to tell the reclusive editor to slink back to the New Dungeon where he came from. "Ian what's up?" She asked, automatically reading the expression on his distressed face.

"Crisis, huge crisis. I really need your help." The urgency in his voice was not to be missed. Standing up straighter she pulled away from George and nodded. With a sigh George moved away, he knew just as well as everyone else that Kate's commitment to the paper came before almost everything else in her world.

"Sure, let's go. I'm sorry George. We'll talk later okay?"

Before he could even verbally agree she was whisked away from the kitchens, practically drug away by Ian.

**You didn't think I was going to make it **_**that**_** easy did you? Next chapter is Ian's crisis, plus more Jennelyn, plus some Fred and Angelina action? I feel another twist coming on!**

**See the little box down there? It wants you to click it…really. Much love~ Brose**


	7. Love and the Stolen Kiss

**A/N: This was a very difficult chapter to write. I am sad to say that there is no column here but there will be one next chapter. Anyway I took my Psychology Subject Test of the GRE this weekend so now that my life isn't devoted to studying every free minute updates will be easier. **

**Lots of scene shifting this chapter. You all are being so patient with Kate and George I thought I would go ahead and offer something else to fill the void. It's still a few chapters before we see any Kate/George action…despite how difficult it is to drag out the tension it's also a ton of fun to write! People are starting to clue into George's feelings but silly Kate is just too obtuse for her own good! I hope you enjoy.**

**Very huge thanks to: vampire-luver101, slowtherain, and LaLa-036 for the wonderful reviews. Really you guys motivated me to get this out early! Also thanks to everyone who added this to alerts, it always cheers my day to get those e-mails on my phone!**

Chapter 6: Love and the Stolen Kiss

Ian did not say a word to Kate as he led her towards the News Dungeon. Several sarcastic comments were begging to be said but she held her tongue, her friend seemed genuinely distressed. Vaguely she wondered what was so serious that it required taking her away from the party. Especially when she and George Weasley were bordering on what had promised to be a fascinating conversation.

They started down towards the narrow hall that forked between the potions dungeon and the branching halls that led to the News Dungeon. Somewhere buried in that network was the Slytherin common room and dorms, and Kate figured Snape's office was amidst the mess as well. Thankfully she'd never had a reason to visit either. "I came down here to mess a bit with the layout for this week's issue." Ian's voice startled her mental mapping.

There was a very long pause and Kate fought the urge to laugh. What had him so melodramatic? "And?" She prompted him.

"And Viola Parkinson came in," his voice turned suddenly sour. Kate felt her own stomach churn a little at the name. The Slytherin seventh year was just as much a simpering idiot as she was attractive. Her blonde hair was much richer in tone than Kate's and tumbled over her narrow shoulders in heavy curls that framed a narrow face and stunning cobalt eyes. Boys were usually quite taken with her narrow waist and perfect white smile set against a flawless porcelain complexion.

Viola Parkinson also happened to maintain the events section for the paper as well as sorting through the editorials. "What about her?" Kate muttered, disdain coloring her voice. The beauty was the only member of Ian's senior staff that she could do without.

"She quit." Ian groaned as they approached a gilt framed picture. Set inside it was a massive scroll written in runes. "Ian Haynes, editor," he mumbled to the picture. Suddenly the scroll rolled up and the glass vanished, leaving an arched doorway into the dungeon. Both of them passed through and he went straight to his desk, sinking into his rolling chair.

Kate followed and eyed the discouraging stack of letters on his desktop. Carefully she shifted them aside and came around, sitting on the free space. "That's bad," she supplied for him. "Really bad." Now she felt guilty for even thinking about how nice things would be without Viola. Sure her attitude towards girls in other houses left something to be desired. And she hated Kate quite vehemently, particularly after Kate had been asked to write the romance column instead of her. But her sections of the paper were much larger and very time consuming. Piling that work onto another staff member would be nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment.

"There's no way I can properly interview potential staff members and get one trained in time for the Hogsmeade issue." Kate tried to perform the mental calculations in her head. "Much less in times for the issues after the Champions are chosen. This is such a nightmare."

Kate's stomach dropped out. The other schools would be arriving this coming Friday and the selection would be the following Saturday. All term long they had been meticulously planning the issues following champion selection heading into the tournament. Times for interviews, subjects for columns and layout sections had been already put into action. Kate even had her columns decided based on the tentative schedule of social events that had been lined up. The first Hogsmeade visit was for after the first task. The issue before the first visit of the year was always one of her most important columns.

"These are just the editorial letters we've received in the last two weeks alone. Viola had an entire system set up to sort and file everything so we had a running file for the year. Plus her notes on event planning are written in such a manner that only she could possibly understand them." Ian continued to moan and groan. Absently Kate lifted one of the parchment notes that had been sent to them and opened it. Some student was commenting on their support for one of the controversial issues they addressed every paper.

"Well I guess I'll just have to step in and double up some time to help with events and you'll start interviewing this week," she said with a drawn sigh. Although this was indeed a very serious crisis to the well being of their publication, Kate found herself wishing he hadn't drug her away from her friends. Part of her was really curious as to what George was going to say to her. "Did she say why she was quitting?"

"Something about not enough time to devote to her studies and job interviews. It's all a crock of shite amounting up to the fact that between school and the paper she doesn't have enough time to shag her new boyfriend." Ian's voice was contemptuous and Kate didn't bother hiding her laughter. One of Viola's worst qualities was her boy-crazy tunnel vision. There wasn't a time that she didn't know the Slytherin beauty to be single. "These editorials alone," he let his head fall against the desk right next to Kate's thigh.

With a gentle hand she smoothed his hair and continued to let him complain. "I can promise that this isn't the end of the world. What's a couple more overnights in the dungeon?" She asked and then patted the top of his head once more.

Ian finally sat up and groaned as he looked at the editorials. "Well unless you've got to get back to Weasley we could start tonight," he muttered and picked a few of them. Kate arched a brow and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What are you talking about? Why would I need to get back to George?"

A smirk crossed his face. "You two were very close when I walked in. From my angle it looked like he wanted to reach down and snog the daylights out of you."

Rolling her eyes she divided the stack in half and took it to her desk, which was right across from his. "You're losing your touch Ian, too much time down here I suspect," she teased but felt her stomach roll over, and it wasn't an altogether uncomfortable sensation.

"You clearly were not reading his body language or his facial expressions the same way. What were you talking about anyway?" Ian pressed and she shrugged.

"Whether or not I should be dating Stephen Delancourt. George seems to think that he's the wrong type for me."

Ian snorted and gave her an uncharacteristically unattractive look. "Well of course he's all wrong for you. Concerned with social affairs you might be, but a social climber you are not." Casually Ian crumpled up a letter and tossed it towards the large wastebasket sitting on the other side of the room. It missed, but with a flick of his wand the parchment righted itself in the bin.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

Sighing he ran his fingers through his hair and then straightened up again. "Stephen has three primary interests in life: getting into a healer's training program, having the best looking girl on his arm and climbing to the top of the Hogwarts social chain. Right now he's well on his way to a St. Mungo's acceptance, and given the fact that you're a stunning specimen of the opposite sex he's about to have a good looking girl. Plus have you thought about what will happen if he starts to date you?" Shaking her head, Kate found herself becoming increasingly annoyed.

"No, but I'm sure you're going to elaborate for me."

"A ticket to the top of the ladder." Ian said with a smirk. His words provoked unkind laughter from her.

"Go on out of that," she replied. "How on earth would dating me lead to instant social status?"

Getting up from his chair, Ian came around and leaned over her desk. "Let's think about this for a long moment. You are the romance columnist; half the school only reads the paper for your column. On top of that your friends are all on the best quidditch team in the school and the Weasley twins are maybe the most recognizable figures among all four houses. A little infamous in some circles maybe, but ultimately they are some of the most well liked blokes around."

Giggling, Kate thought about George's girlish imitation from earlier. Flipping her hair over her shoulder in an unconcerned manner she set aside a particularly poorly written criticism of last week's discussion on professor bias. "Well then I will gladly step aside so he can date one of them. But I don't think flaming red hair is going to go too well with his pretty boy looks."

Chuckling, Ian shook his head and retreated to his desk. "Laugh if you want Kate but just be careful. I really don't want you to be a tool for Stephen to use to get higher up on the ladder."

Pretending to absently brush away his warning, Kate chewed on her lip. Surprisingly though the first thing she said after came out of nowhere. "George Weasley looked like he was about to kiss me when you came in?"

Now Ian laughed. "Big time," he teased and then went back to the editorials with a pronounced groan of displeasure.

Kate wasn't sure why but that was the only thing that occupied her thoughts as she spent the rest of the very long night sorting through parchment letters.

* * * * *

Fred was in a classic bad mood as he paced along the empty Charms classroom. His books were strewn all over a couple of desks, parchment and ink scattered everywhere. Raking his fingers through his red hair he tried to cool his temper off before his study partner arrived. It wouldn't do to make her angry as soon as she got here; they had enough problems managing their tempers without his irrational bad mood.

Something had put George in an irritable mood last night and in turn it affected him quite greatly. Of the two George was generally much more even in temper, it took quite a bit to offset his almost constant pleasant demeanor. Of course he knew the source almost as soon as Ian Haynes drug her from the kitchens to repair a paper emergency.

It was true that Fred adored Kate Kelley with all of his heart, but he really wished she'd stop being so thick about his brother's feelings for her. George wasn't exactly like him when it came to the expression of negative emotions. Fred would storm and rage and yell until it was all out of his system in a matter of an hour. His beloved twin on the other hand had a very nasty habit of stewing over little details and wondering what he could have done differently. Of course that was obvious to him, George should have plucked up a backbone and told her how he felt ages ago, last year even.

The door opened and Angelina came in, shouldering her bag. "Sorry I'm late, I got caught reviewing some of Wood's defensive tactics, it seems he'd done quite a bit of developing for the team even after the cup was over," she said and started laying out her own Charms work. Her breezy tone alerted Fred that she was in a good mood, which would help their situation. So long as she wasn't ready to bite his head off they stood a good chance of going the whole time without a single argument.

At least until she looked up and saw his face. "What's got your wand in a knot?" She asked him, plunking down easily in a chair. Fred took her cue and sank into the chair next to her, running his hands through his hair.

"Oh it's nothing," he tried to brush off, and was very unsuccessful. Crossing her arms over her chest she shook her head.

"Let's try again Fred, what's bothering you?"

Grinning he wagged a finger in her direction. "Too nosy for your own good aren't you?" Her narrowed eyes did not indicate her appreciation for his cheek. "George is in a bad mood, and you know how his moods are."

Absently she raised her eyes to the ceiling as if she could just see George lying back on his bed ignoring everything else. "Sulking with the curtains shut?" He nodded to confirm the suspicion. "Do you think Kate will ever realize how much he cares for her?" Angelina said and began to pull all of her braids away from her face with a hair tie.

Snorting Fred shook his head. "More to the point do you ever think he'll tell her?"

"You know for being one half of the most outgoing, troublesome duo the school has ever seen your brother has serious confrontation issues." Angelina mused, rubbing her chin.

"Only with Kate it seems."

Then she opened her books and pulled out the homework they were supposed to be finishing. "Well he'll come around eventually. In the meantime have you given thought to how you're going to hoodwink the Goblet yet?" She pulled the conversation around to start of the tournament which was scheduled for the coming Saturday.

Shaking his head he winked. "Far be it from me to share our genius. It will be as much a surprise to you as it is to everyone else." The familiar confident smirk had taken its place on his features. Although the plan was fairly obvious in nature and origin, he still wanted to leave all of their friends guessing as to what he and his brother would cook up in conjunction with Lee.

"I think you could probably tell me, after all I'm sure if anyone has a right to know," her voice trailed off and he swiveled to face her. His smirk now stretched into a grin. Reaching out he swept a stray braid from her face and tucked it neatly behind her ear.

"And what gives you a right to know?" His fingers slipped easily from the top shell of her ear and down the line of her jaw. They swept over her neck and his hand traveled easily down her arm before he took her hand up in his. Already his body was egging him forward and he squeezed her fingers.

Rolling her eyes she tried to pull away but he tightened his grip. At his motion she also began to lean in, they were getting closer by the centimeter. "Because of this," she said and held up their joined hands. Chuckling he shook his head.

"Ah but you're the one determined to keep this as quiet as possible." He could feel her warm, sweet breath on his face. The scent of her perfume was filling his brain with very pleasant images of strawberries and flowers bursting forth into spectacular bloom. "So you can't really have it both ways, either we go public and you get to call the shots or we continue just being friends."

She tensed under his touch and he knew the anger was beginning to bubble up in her system. Fred couldn't help his grin now, he loved making Angelina angry. Her outbursts were just as attractive to him as her good moods. "You know we aren't going to tell the whole world about this," she growled. "And you know why."

"Because you don't want to be the captain dating a player is it? Or are you just embarrassed about being seen snogging a Weasley?" His bait was now set, all he had to do was wait for her to fall into the trap.

"What! Of course that's not it!" She cried and her free hand came around to take his other one. "Where on earth would you get that idea from?"

Shrugging he feigned a rather depressed expression, which he knew was perfect. Years of practice on his mum and other girls had given him the edge of executing the puppy face. "Well we are a bit loud and obnoxious. Not to mention all the stuff about our family," he trailed and watched the blood rush her face, taking on a gorgeous blush. This was exactly the side of Angelina he wanted to see.

"Shut your sodding mouth Fred Weasley," she said her voice a low growl. "You know I don't care about any of that, you're perfect exactly as you are. Especially the loud and obnoxious part," she was about to go on and they were mere centimeters away when recognition suddenly took her features. Immediately she darkened and was about to pull away when he caught her by the shoulders, holding her captive. "You set me up into that," she snapped.

"Course I did, now hush up so I can snog you properly." And before she could even say another word he closed the gap. His mouth covered hers and he was thrilled to her a gasp of surprise pop out of her lips. With very little regard for anything else he managed to get his arms around her and plucked her from her chair. Angelina did not fight as he settled her on his lap. In fact her long fingers slipped into his hair.

"You're awful," she muttered as they parted for air. This time it was her who took his face in her hands and kissed him. Her lips were wonderfully warm and soft against his, moving with confidence as he opened his mouth and they deepened the kiss. Although he desperately wanted to be a public couple with her, Fred was content with the opportunity to simply have a 'study session' in an abandoned classroom and slowly work on her resolve.

"I know," he said and as he continued to snog her he knew sooner or later she'd cave. One day she would accept to being his girlfriend.

* * * * *

Sunday morning found Kate sitting in the Great Hall with Stephen. They were eating breakfast together before she went to study with Alicia. Normally they were deep in conversation about one topic to another, but this morning he was uncharacteristically silent. For a long while she thought maybe something was wrong. Maybe she'd said or done something wrong over the weekend but nothing came to mind, she hadn't seen him since Friday evening.

"Did you like your rose?" His voice startled her from her thoughts. Lifting her eyes she found his regarding her carefully.

Flustered, she set her goblet down and nodded. "Of course I did! But how did you know they were my favorite?" She asked.

A sly grin toyed at the corners of his mouth. "I asked Haynes, he told me that's what he gave you last year as a thank you for all your work on the paper." Kate made a mental note to talk to Ian later and ask why he didn't tell her.

Her eyes flicked to her now half eaten plate of eggs and bacon. Hunger now seemed low on her priority list and she pushed the plate away, shifting her body so she facing Stephen a little better. "Nice detective work," she said and grinned at him.

Nodding he seemed to deliberate for a moment and then shrugged. "It's a bit early for asking but would you go to Hogsmeade with me on the first visit this year?"

Kate had been expecting him to ask her for sometime. However the sudden question caught her off guard. "As in on a date?" She blurted out before she could even stop herself.

Chuckling, he raked his fingers through his hair and casually shifted his plate out of his way. Resting an elbow on the table, he propped his chin in his hand. The way he looked at her sent goose bumps up and down her arms while simultaneously producing a very warm sensation in the pit of her stomach. "That is the general idea yes. After all I wasn't eating breakfast with you every morning to ask you to be my study partner for Potions," he teased and she felt the heat blossom in her cheeks.

Of course he wouldn't, she reasoned with herself. Kate was no idiot; she knew that Stephen liked her. "So this date, is it as your girlfriend or just as a date in general?" She asked him, now toying nervously with her fingers.

Stephen's hand reached out and took hers to still the nervous motion. "Let's say not just a date but not quite a girlfriend yet either. That comes after the date." Then he began to gather his things. "I have to meet my Arithmancy group to work on our project. It would be an honor if you'd eat dinner with me tonight at the end of the table."

Now Kate really was blushing. The very ends of house tables were generally left alone and that was where couples would customarily eat. It was the closest thing to a date as one could find on the Hogwarts campus. "Sure thing."

"Seven then," he said and swiftly leaned across and kissed her cheek before striding out of the Great Hall. Then horror came over her as she realized she hadn't actually said yes.

"Stephen!" She called before he got out of earshot. Stopping he wheeled around and gave her a questioning smile. "I'd love to go to Hogsmeade with you." The words came out a little shaky and a bit relieved. The questioning left his expression leaving nothing but immense pleasure. The warmth radiated out to her fingers and toes.

"I'll see you tonight," he said and then left. As Kate turned back to contemplate this new development she missed the casual grin slip right off George Weasley's face.

* * * * *

"Merlin's beard this stuff is so hard!" Kate groaned and let her head drop on the table. Her Potions book was open next to her. Images of Snape's snide grin at her work floated through the back of her mind. Her professor was predisposed to dislike her on the principle that she was a Gryffindor; she didn't want to give him any other reason to dock off points. "Deconstructing poisons for antidotes has got to be the most miserable task ever."

Alicia set her quill aside and stared at the essay that was reaching the one scroll length. "I can't believe he's asking for two scrolls on this subject. How on earth are we supposed to fit all of that information on only two?" She said, returning to her book. Kate examined her friend's miniscule writing and then sighed, staring back at her own. She too was at one scroll in length already.

"Your guess is as good as mine," sighing she shared a look with Alicia and then they both made a face. "A break would be nice," she suggested.

"A welcome relief." Alicia snapped her book shut, shoving it aside.

For a moment Kate chewed the inside of her lip, before the words just tumbled out. "Stephen asked me to Hogsmeade."

Silence hung heavy in the air for a moment as Alicia tapped the end of her quill against her lower lip. "Well isn't that what you wanted?" She said at last, and set her quill down, flattening her palms on the table.

With a light shrug Kate nodded. "Yes, yes of course."

Alicia bit her lip, fighting a smile. "Ah I can tell, seeing as to how you're so excited." The sarcastic tone of her voice was not to be missed. Leaning back in her chair Kate crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm very excited, so happy," she said again, but Alicia chuckled.

"You're just like George, an awful liar," she teased.

Kate bit her lip, weighing her options. Alicia was one of her closest friends, but they'd never really talked much about boys before. Usually she talked to Cara and Jennelyn. However Cara had already shared her opinions on Stephen and Jennelyn wasn't suited for this conversation. Kate was pretty sure that Jenn wouldn't appreciate her confused emotions related to George. "Really I am pleased that Stephen asked me, I'd be stupid to not be happy."

"Just because he's among the most sought after boys in school doesn't make it mandatory that you date him." Alicia reasoned and then tilted her head to the side. The expression on her face made Kate uncomfortable, as if she was being scrutinized for reasons outside of their current subject. "If I ask will you tell me how you really feel about him?"

It was of course the question she'd been avoiding from all of her friends including Cara, Angelina and Jennelyn. Answering the question would mean admitting all of her insecurities. "I do like him," she started.

"But," Alicia said.

"But something feels off about it. I mean, I barely know Stephen and suddenly we're dating? All the other boys I've dated have been the same way, we barely know each other and then we're hot and heavy and then suddenly it's over and I have no idea why." All of the words came out in a sudden rush. "And Stephen just fits that profile too perfectly. He's so confident and so wanted that it's just too easy to lose him to someone else. I don't like that I don't know him, I can't just be natural with him the way I can be with Ian or Lee or the twins, especially the twins," she explained, waving her hands in gestures to accentuate her speech.

Another pause ensued as Alicia soaked up her words, twisting a lock of light brown hair about one finger. At last she snapped her eyes shut and then opened them, staring at her with a renewed curiosity. "So why date him then? I mean if you don't know then you just don't know Kate. There's nothing wrong with that," she reasoned. Now it was Kate's turn to soak in her words.

"Can I ask you another question and swear you won't read anything into it, because let me assure it's coming from a completely neutral standpoint." Leaning forward, Alicia nodded and drew her jean-clad knees up to her chest.

"Go on."

"What's your honest opinion of George?" The girl's mouth went slightly slack as she stared openly at Kate. Judging by her expression, Alicia had not been expecting that one. For several seconds she floundered over her words until her voice began working properly again.

"He's one of the best boys in the world," she said, and clasped her hands around her legs. "Apart from the fact that he's hilarious and really intelligent, he's just a good person. In the way that he takes time to learn details and despite all that cocky attitude he cares really deeply for his friends. I mean he's George, he's tall and gorgeous and honest to a fault. Plus he's one seriously fantastic snog."

Kate's jaw dropped, that was news she hadn't seen coming. "You snogged George?"

Blushing, Alicia ducked her head and let her curtain of hair hide the bright red in her cheeks. "Third year, it was right after his fourteenth birthday. We'd been flirting a bit and one night we were putting the ball crate away from Quidditch practice. Anyway we were standing in the shed when he just leaned down and planted one right on me."

Now Kate's mind was really doing circles and mental calculations. If, at fourteen, George was as good as Alicia was making him out to be then how good must he be now? Kate had it on excellent authority that his snogging record among other things was well fleshed out. Not that she was even remotely surprised that he would be good. "Guess I'm not too surprised," she said with a grin. But her stomach had also dropped. Had any of her other friends snogged him too?

"Well he might as well be my brother now, we decided after that one episode that romance was not for us." Alicia said happily and started to reach for her book. Then she paused and arched a delicate brow. "Why do you ask about him?"

Flushing again, Kate smiled and waved a hand at her. "It's nothing, just something stupid Ian said to me on Friday night."

Shrugging, Alicia hefted her potions book open and returned to the spot she'd marked on her page. "Well, I'll just say for the record that boys don't get better than George Weasley, I can only imagine that he'd be an incredible boyfriend to the right girl." Then with an almost imperceptible smile, she returned to her work.

But Kate caught the grin and couldn't help but wonder if Alicia and Ian knew something she didn't.

**I almost wrote the last scene from Alicia's point of view but caved in the end to continue focusing on Kate's growing confusion. She will begin to get the picture, and the next chapters are going to move things along very fast. The actual main focus of this story isn't on how Kate and George get together but the eventual development of their relationship. Apologies for the lack of action between them but they can't be together every second of every day can they? **

**Anyway, the next couple of chapters will include some Fred and George interaction, more on Fred/Ang, Jennelyn, and my favorite scene from the draft of the fic that I've written so far! Much love-Brose**


	8. Love and the Request

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry about the gap between updates! I had issues getting some of the material together for this chapter (i.e. I wasn't sure what to write.) Anyway this chapter focuses on quite a bit of GOF cannon. **

**For the record: I totally love Ron, I think he's hilarious and I don't want you to see this chapter as me bashing on Ron. I'm just trying to show what the twin's friends probably think about a fourth year suddenly clouding their sixth year vibe. This chapter does not contain my favorite scene from the draft, that's going to be next chapter. I have 8, 9, and 10 outlined. There's so much material it might be stretched over four chapters instead of three…it all depends on how it goes when it's finally written out. This is also the longest chapter I've written so far, coming in at 15 pages!**

**Thank you all my incredible readers and my absolutely fantastic reviewers: vampire-luver01, LaLa-036, and SlowtheRain. You three are absolutely wonderful; your reviews are my constant motivation to get chapters out! **

**Chapter 7: Love and the Request**

_Love and the Empty Broom Closet_

_Parlez-vous François? _

_Neither do I. However, that tiny detail certainly isn't stopping me from enjoying the recent addition of foreign delicacies offered at Hogwarts. Disagree if you must but the menu has never been this diverse or enticing. Even for those who are choosing to only admire the selections, you've got to admit it. The Tri-Wizard tournament might be the best thing that's ever happened to this school. Not only are we served with three breathtaking tasks with which to entertain our time and count them FOUR champions to pledge loyalty to, we are also given the chance to liaise with the Continent's finest. _

_Welcome to the international standard of all things romance. Where the only thing the language barrier hinders, is your ability to tell your Ukrainian fling to keep his hands north of the border. Not that that's such a huge problem. Luckily for those of us who are linguistically challenged, romance isn't dependent upon words. This is why I have deemed it essential to discuss the importance of versatility in another language. _

_Body language can tell us all sorts of things. For instance when Professor Flitwick is edging closer to your desk while holding his hands behind his back, brace yourself for a surprise question. The set of Professor Snape's shoulders will tell you all about his current mood erect and straight suggests a neutral mood (good day) angled forward indicates that it's a good idea for you to shut up and finish your potion. And when your love interest leans forward and maintains a steady amount of eye contact, your affection is not altogether one-sided. This is true regardless of the language he or she might be speaking. _

_Two things will establish mutual interest and grab attention. Eye contact and smiling are important. Outright staring is creepy, regardless of your gender, staring comes off as too forward or too hostile, depending on the accompanying expression. Instead if you're interested in establishing initial contact, watch (discretely) until your object locks onto you, then after two or three seconds break contact. Accompany this with a casual smile. Smiling is an indication of friendliness and social acceptance. Smile at that certain someone and they're bound to notice you. _

_Sit with your knees pointing in the direction of your interest, or when standing face the person or angle your body towards them. Try not to cross your arms as this can signal a closed off personality or rejection. The more open you are to someone, the more interest you convey to him or her. When these actions are reciprocated it's a solid indication that mutual regard is forming. _

_Touching is a bit of a touch and go situation. The wrong placement of a hand can take you from sweetly escorting a Ravenclaw fifth year into class to getting 'fresh' as my Grandmother calls it. The basic rule of thumb for physical interactions is such: if you don't know the person too well keep it limited to the arm and the upper back. These are safe areas to establish physical connection without straying into dodgy territory. Unless of course said interest has dragged you into a broom closet, then by all means get as fresh as you want. _

_Of course this is just glossing the surface. None of these tips will help you make heads or tails of what tall, French and delicious is saying to you. At least though you can have the conviction of knowing it's okay to lean forward and drink up that entire wonderful accent. Because really, all it takes is a French accent attached to a handsome boy to make my heart melt faster than the secret to excellent French cooking, butter. _

Alicia folded the _Herald_ over on the table and shook her head as she reached for the pitcher of pumpkin juice. One of these days Kate was going to get herself trapped in a pit of scandal too deep to climb out. However, for everyone's sake the article wasn't nearly as shocking as it could have been. Certainly it was no expose on the cheating methods of Hogwarts boys, she'd cracked that so wide open that Alicia was convinced Kate would never get another date again.

Lifting her eyes she scanned the hall until she found Stephen Delancourt sitting with his friends at the Ravenclaw table. This was a solid indication that Kate was probably either asleep in the News Dungeon or would be joining them soon for lunch. Next to her Angelina was chuckling under her breath as she read the article. "That girl," she muttered.

"Oi, have you seen Fred and George?" Alicia lifted her head to see Ron Weasley's long face staring at them. His eyes were decidedly reflecting is shoddy mood. Evidently he had not made up with Harry Potter yet.

"They have class with Lee, I'm sure they'll be along to eat soon enough." Without any other word from her he plunked down across from them and snatched a serving spoon from a large copper pot of stew. Flecks of broth exploded everywhere and dotted the newspaper. Next to her Angelina's fists clenched slightly but then relaxed as they shared a mutual expression of resign.

The twin's little brother was going to continue sitting with them until he got over his quarrel with Harry. Both Fred and George were pained to admit that outside of outright encouragement there wasn't much they could do. Ultimately he was their little brother and even they didn't have quite the cold disposition to tell him to go jump off the Astronomy Tower, and actually mean it. Alicia had tried to feel bad for him the first few days of this stalemate between friends.

After all, the evidence pointed to Harry Potter finding a way to put his name in the goblet. She couldn't see any other way around the fact, and leaving his best friend out of the proceedings seemed a bit of a low blow. Ron saw it this way too and seemed determined to ignore the poor boy's presence as long as possible. This meant that he was now sticking to the twins like a burr, sitting with them at mealtimes and haunting them in the common room. Again, the first few days had been tolerable but the strain was already starting to show.

"You would not believe the unreal amount of editorials we get in two weeks, I swear to you Alicia I'm going to drop dead before term is over." Kate had suddenly appeared, dropping her bag on the ground and sinking onto the bench.

"Ian working you that hard?" She questioned, deciding that Kate was a welcome addition to the table, that girl could talk about anything for hours. Frowning, Alicia took her appearance. Normally Kate's hair was shining clean and falling in controlled waves and her skin was full of healthy color. It seemed that she hadn't been sleeping, her skin was quite paler than normal and her hair was pulled back in a very unruly ponytail.

Her frown of displeasure said it all as she scowled at the _Herald_. "He's trying to kill me. I've never had this much work for the paper. Between my column and heading up the editorials sorting I've been stretched thin. Ian is even asking me to do some editing work for the events section which he's having one of the younger staff members do," she said and started loading her plate with mixed vegetables and a bowl of soup. "I don't think I've had a decent night's sleep all week," she mumbled unhappily.

Alicia patted her shoulder in sympathy; she knew exactly what that felt like. Playing for the house team under Oliver's iron fist had taught her that some leaders would go to extremes for perfection. "The column was really good though," she said in an attempt to cheer her up.

Kate shot her a feeble smile in return. "Thanks, I was worried that it might be too soft for the first one of the tournament," she said.

"Nope, just the right balance of humor and advice. I'm sure that there are students all over this castle taking that one to heart," said Angelina peeking around Alicia.

At last Kate lifted her head and noticed that Angelina and Ron were both with them. "Hey Ang, hi Ron," she said and then stifled a yawn.

"Late night last night?" A Weasley twin voice cut through the atmosphere and Alicia looked around to see both the twins and Lee sitting down with them. Lee and Fred had come on Ron's side and Alicia noted with no surprise that George sat next to Kate.

In fact, Kate gave him a sleepy smile before returning to her food. "Incredibly so," was her response between bites.

"Where've you lot been?" Ron asked, and evidently his grumpy mood was far from vanishing. For a split second Alicia saw Fred close his eyes in screwed up frustration before returning to his normal casual grin. Slinging an arm around his shoulder, Fred used his free hand to take Ron by the chin.

"See those kids further down the table? Y'know Harry and Hermione? It might interest you to know that they and not us are your best mates. So run along down there and make up with Harry so you get out of our hair." Lee and Angelina chuckled. Ron colored somewhere close to tomato red before shaking his head and muttering things under his breath about how annoying everyone in the castle was.

George leaned forward and cupped his hand around his ear. "What was that little bro? Couldn't hear you."

Frowning even deeper Ron continued to eat his stew. "Just wondering what you'd been up to that's all."

Lee took his own initiative. "Business of course, not that it's of any concern to you."

Alicia raised her eyebrows at the frosty tone Lee had taken on. Generally he was a good-natured boy, but it appeared that he too was quite ruffled by Ron's sudden insistence on spending all his time with the Gryffindor sixth years. Kate yawned again next to her and out of the corner of her eye watched as she leaned her head against George's shoulder, and his arm came up to support her. "You're still going on about that shop then?" Ron mumbled.

"Course we are," said Fred.

"Got to get the start up capita," said George.

"So that's what we're doing." Fred and George it seemed were entering into their rather irksome habit of finishing each other's thoughts.

"Not that we'd expect-"

"You to understand anything about business," Fred continued on and George cast his eyes down to Kate who had her eyes shut.

"So just keep your nose out of things you don't understand." George finished off and then continued eating his lunch, working around Kate's rather limp form. Alicia turned to look at him, and noticed the tiny smile playing on his features. Only George would be smitten enough with a girl to let her sleep on him while he ate his lunch.

Reaching over she tried to wake Kate up so she would stop getting in the way. "Kate darling, the Great Hall isn't the best place to catch a nap," she muttered.

Looking over George shot her warning look. "Let her sleep, she's going to need it before your bout of double potions."

Alicia had to fight the urge to laugh and tease him. Really this was turning into quite the spectacle. Kate was eating almost every meal with Stephen Delancourt these days, it was clear that their fledgling relationship was going to go somewhere. Unless George managed to get a back bone and tell her the truth Alicia didn't seen how on earth they were going to actually date, Kate was so blind to his affection it was a shade pathetic.

Frowning at them she shook her head before turning back to Angelina who was poring over the articles written about the champions. It was much easier for Alicia to immerse herself into the current argument over the selections. There was no threat of her friends getting hurt when it came to the tournament. As much as it pained her, Alicia couldn't see a positive end to the current scenario, unless someone had a change of heart.

Out of the corner of her eye she watched Kate finally come to. "Sorry George, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you there." A brilliant blush was on her cheeks.

"Hardly a problem, oh look post is here." And as he spoke hundreds of owls began swooping low over the student body.

* * * * *

Fred crumbled the parchment in his left hand as he stormed into Transfiguration. His blood was literally to the boiling point in his veins. If Ludo Bagman hadn't already beat out Snape and Draco Malfoy for the top position of 'most miserable scum on earth' he certainly did now. He couldn't remember a time when he wanted to pummel someone so bad in his life. It was amazing to him that not even twenty minutes ago he was enjoying lunch with his friends. Now he was toeing the line between irritation and homicidal.

How on earth could that stupid, arrogant, foolish man think he could just get away with cheating him out of his life savings? Or George's for that matter? They'd won that bet fair and square. They had deserved the doubling of their money.

George was close on his heels, muttering quite a few colorful curses under his breath. "That sneaking, foul, loathsome son of a bitch!" He snapped to his twin and George could only nod somberly as they turned the sharp corner into McGonagall's room. Their other classmates were there, all preparing for the lesson.

"How could he do this to us?" George said and all but threw his bag down on the table he shared with Fred. They exchanged a dark look before Fred ripped his book out of his bag and slammed it none too gently down on the table. Sitting down, he loosened the knot on his uniform tie and flicked open the cover to their current chapter. Next to him George was positively seething in anger, and he wondered if his twin was considering the different types of gruesome torture he was imagining. Another shared look indicated that yes, yes he was.

"Maybe we could floo to his office to see him, give him a piece of our mind face to face?" He suggested and then George shook his head.

"Couldn't get out of here via fire without someone knowing. Besides we don't even know if Bagman's office is connected to the network. We could end up tumbling around there for days," said George. Fred felt the echo of discontent and anger in his voice.

Groaning he dropped his head against the table. "Let's face it George. Without that money we're completely fucked. There's no way we can start up this business without it."

"Don't think it hasn't crossed my mind." Fred of course knew it had. Again they locked eye contact and Fred had a solid feeling that George was doing the mental math in his head.

"Rent for shops in Diagon Alley is what? About four hundred galleons a month. And that's if we live at home, then you add in all the start up costs of putting a shop together. Then manufacturing enough products to keep it constantly stocked in the beginning. God that's got to be a couple thousand galleons at least. We don't have to keep profit for ourselves in the beginning but eventually mum and dad won't be able to help us with food and the like." Already Fred's brain was spinning, numbers were flashing in the back of his head and every time he closed his eyes he could see the gold coins tumbling around. George was right. Unless by some miracle they came into roughly three thousand galleons there was absolutely no way they'd ever achieve the start up costs to get their business really going.

"Manufacturing right now is too expensive with having to use owl post to receive materials. We should be able to cut some of those costs by buying at Hogsmeade in a few weekends but it won't last us past the holidays." George was still going on. "Not to mention," he was about to further depress Fred when he held up his hand.

"Enough mate. I'm getting the picture quite clearly. Merlin's' beard sometimes I wish you were shite in Arithmancy."

Crossing his arms over his chest George frowned. "Then we'd be even worse off cause neither of us would know how to keep books properly," he said and scowled. This at least brought the shadow of a grin to Fred's face; he loved goading his brother.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lee shoot them a questioning look. Fred took the letter from out of his bag and looked to make sure no body was watching. With a flick of his wrist he tossed the note over George's head and Lee caught it, smoothing it on the desk. "That's absolute bollocks!" He hissed just as McGonagall strode into the room. Neither Fred nor George was idiot enough to disrupt Transfiguration. They opened their notes up to where they'd left off with a game of hangman.

_So what do we do next? We have to get that money from Bagman somehow_. George scrawled underneath the last game's word of 'bouncing kappa.'

**Dunno mate, what about telling him we'll go to dad? **Fred wrote and

scratched the back of his neck, rereading his writing.

McGonagall had started the lecture on the theory of nonverbal vanishing spells. "This requires not only concentration but the spatial ability imagine the object and the space without it. I do not expect any of you to achieve this on the first try." Her voice was crisp through the class and all around there were quills scratching down her words. Absently Fred reached out on a clean sheet of parchment to scribble down a few notes.

_The last thing we need is dad to get involved. What if mum finds out?_

Fred shuddered. The mere mental image of his mother's face contorted with rage was enough to scrap that plan. He'd had enough of her yelling about their shop to know the less she knew, the better. **Point taken. Anybody else we can threaten him with if he doesn't cough up?**

"Remember that the element of concentration is directly proportional to the size of the object. It takes less mental capacity to vanish a teacup as opposed to a whole tea set," she continued on and this time George reached up and wrote on his notes section.

_Threatening doesn't sound too pleasant does it? We'd get in loads of trouble if we're caught blackmailing the git._ Fred bit his lip, was that what they were preparing to do? The rage their mum would put them through for blackmailing a ministry department head made her temper over their shop seem tame.

**Who said anything about blackmail?**

_Well that's what we're doing isn't it? The general definition of blackmail involves coercing someone into something they don't want to do. _Fred rolled his eyes. Did George think he was daft? Of course he knew what blackmail was. _Course Bagman's really not going to like that._ He added quickly.

**Don't think he's supposed to mate.**

"Basic verbal vanishing spells require a small delay in wand movement versus the incantation to allow the magic to manifest itself. This is not true for nonverbal spells. The incantation, if produced with enough concentration will manifest immediately and the wand motion must be performed simultaneously." McGonagall was now using her wand to wave diagram after diagram on the board. Fred stole out of his right peripheral and noticed that Alicia and Angelina were both taking furious notes. In the table in front of them Kate and Jennelyn were also getting the diagrams out.

_Well I guess we could threaten to go public with out dealings if he doesn't cooperate._ George mused on paper and then took a few more snatches of the lecture down.

Fred eyed his own notes. There was no way he'd be able to properly study theory with the shite he'd written in his usual chicken scratch. Maybe he could combine notes with George or just beg one of the girls later. **Do you think he'll be judging the tournament? We could corner him at the First Task.**

_That's the first good idea we've had all day! If we catch him there then he has no choice but to talk to us._

**What if he doesn't?**

"So it follows that the power required to produce the nonverbal incantation is going to be much greater than the verbal." Silence suddenly fell over the classroom. "Are you listening at all Weasley? Weasley?" McGonagall's square glasses were now turned on them. Leaning back a little in his chair Fred grinned.

"Course I am," he said and waved his real notes sheet. "More mental resources are required for the nonverbal. That's going to make it difficult to produce right?"

Transfiguration was always a battle of wits between McGonagall and the twins. Fred respected the woman enormously; she was perhaps the best teacher in the entire castle. However, she had zero tolerance for their escapades, which caused them, so spend quite a bit of time in detention. But even she couldn't deny their natural aptitude for difficult magic. "Correct Weasley," she sighed and as she turned away Fred swore he saw a slight raise in the usual straight line of her lips. Almost as soon as her back was turned a note floated onto his desk.

_**I can't wait for the day when she catches you**_. Angelina's tight and neat writing gave him a smile. Looking over at him he shrugged and pretended to brush his shoulder off. Getting caught passing notes in class was for amateurs. He was a Weasley twin; he and George practically set the bar for troublemaking. And with that fortifying thought in mind he continued the rest of the period plotting with George.

* * * * *

Kate walked out of potions with Alicia and Jennelyn. All three of them were clutching the latest assignment sheet that Snape had decided to impart upon them. What Kate really wanted to do was crawl into bed and get her first decent night's sleep in ages. The reality was that she now needed to wolf down some dinner before starting her Transfiguration essay and then move onto the monster on venom antidotes that Snape had given them. She didn't have to have it all finished tonight, but she at least needed the outline for her essay.

"I've got to go meet up with Angelina and the twins, she wants to have a team meeting tonight about our scrimmage with Hufflepuff," said Alicia, flicking her braid over her shoulder. "Apparently she wants us to train for this one too." Her dark tone provoked a sympathetic smile from both girls and as they reached the top of the stair Jennelyn and Kate turned for the Great Hall while Alicia went up to the common room for her broom.

"Snape's going to kill me this year, I just know he is." Jennelyn grumbled and they made their way to sit at the Ravenclaw table together. The found a reasonably empty spot and opened their potions books together to begin reading up on the venoms Snape wanted them to know. Somehow Kate had managed to get her first 'O' from Snape ever on her last assignment. Now that she understood exactly what he was looking for she was hoping to achieve another one.

"He's been pretty tough hasn't he?" Kate agreed and started to fill her plate with roast and vegetables. "I wonder how much worse it's going to get next year," she sighed just as a shadow cast over them.

"There you are Kate!" Stephen sat down next to her and leaned over, brushing the hair away from Kate's cheek and kissed it gently. By now Kate was beyond blushing when he did this but she still felt her heartbeat race. "I've been trying to catch you all day. Ian said you were avoiding the Dungeon until you absolutely had to go back and I was worried you'd gone straight to bed."

Across the table Jennelyn shot Stephen a dirty look. It wasn't exactly a huge secret how much she disliked the boy. "Just the mere mention makes me a bit ill," said Kate and then she looked up to see his wide smile.

"How about I try and make you feel a bit better?" He suggested with a rakish grin. Arching a brow Kate shrugged and Jennelyn's frown increased.

"Depends on what you had in mind," was her offhanded response.

"Leaving would so we can work on potions would be an excellent start." Jennelyn snapped from her spot. Kate shot her a warning glance before turning to Stephen. To her immense relief he was smiling at Jenn and then nodded.

"Far be it from me to interrupt the workings of such genius minds. Meet me at my usual spot after you're finished with dinner and we'll go rustle up dessert in the kitchens, just the two of us." And then with another casual kiss on the cheek he swept away to meet the Ravenclaw boys.

Setting her fork down, Kate glared at Jenn. "That was incredibly rude you know that?" She didn't even bother to mask her anger.

Shrugging, Jennelyn offered her a somewhat scrutinizing glance. "You know I don't like him. And I don't have to be nice just because you're dating him."

Rolling her eyes, Kate moodily stabbed at her roast again. "No but you could at least try to be civil seeing as to how I'm one of your best friends." The remark seemed to hit the intended target. Jennelyn dropped her eyes to the table and sighed.

"You're right." For a moment Kate said nothing but instead soaked up the words. There was very few times where she could recall Jenn admitting her wrongs. Instead of tossing out the 'I told you so' she desperately wanted to throw in Jenn's face Kate started to return to her potions books. "Alright, alright I'm sorry I'll make a better effort to be civil. For you." Jennelyn cracked and then offered a smile.

Mollified, Kate nodded and pushed her book aside. "Apology accepted."

"Can I, er, ask you a question?"

Absently Kate continued running her fingers down the list of ingredients used in certain venom antidotes. "Mhmm."

"Does George ever say anything about me?" The question bounced around for two seconds before Kate started, her finger jolting off the page. Looking up slightly slack-jawed she stared openly at her dark haired friend. Of all the things Jennelyn could have said that was the last thing she'd expected coming. It had been weeks since her crush on George had come up and a nastier part of Kate had secretly hoped that Jennelyn had just gotten over it.

"What?" Kate asked quite stupidly.

Huffing impatiently, Jennelyn squared her shoulders and leaned forward. "You two are practically best friends. Aren't you always telling me that you guys stay up late and talk in the common room? Has he ever said anything about me?"

Keeping her eyes on her roast, Kate pushed her fork around her plate. Although she already knew the answer, she tried to wrack her brain for anything. Of course George had never said anything about Jennelyn, he almost never talked about any girl with Kate. Even then Kate was almost one hundred percent positive that George did not fancy Jennelyn. At least he'd never given a solid indicator that he did. Usually when they were together he was teasing Alicia and Angelina or talking to her. "Not really," she said trying to hedge into honesty.

Jenn's beautiful face fell. "Nothing at all?"

Irritation prickled Kate's nerves. "He's mentioned how smart you are on occasion." That of course was always in passing, and Kate couldn't remember the last time he'd said it.

From her stance leaning on the table with her elbows, Kate could clearly see Jenn wringing her hands. Surprise colored her features, Kate had had no idea how invested in this crush Jennelyn was. It wasn't altogether uncommon to go through a phase of liking a Weasley twin. It was hard to ignore their relaxed and humorous attitudes. Upper year girls ranging from Alicia to Viola Parkinson had gone through their obligatory twin obsession. Even Kate had quite fancied Fred at one point. Usually though that happened early on and faded quickly. Jennelyn, however, appeared to have taken it to a new level.

"That's something then right?" For the first time in maybe the history of their friendship Jennelyn looked genuinely nervous. "Do you think you could do a favor for me?"

Crossing her arms over her chest Kate leaned back. Some part of her brain was telling her to say no, that it was a bad idea. But Jenn was her best friend; she couldn't just give an outright no. As of that moment she didn't even know what the favor was. "What's the favor?"

"Well I really want George to ask me to Hogsmeade you see? So maybe you could you know, say some nice things about me and drop a few hints. Without being obvious of course." Her voice prattled off as she spoke. The whole idea was maddening and Kate's blood was boiling under her skin.

"I don't know how helpful that would be Jenn. George knows we're friends, of course I'm going to say nice things about you," said Kate. Jennelyn's eyes narrowed.

"Could you please just do it? You have a date already and so does Cara. I don't want to skip the visit because I don't have anyone to go with. I really like George and want to go with him."

Kate wanted to reach across the table and slap her hand over her friend's mouth. She didn't want to hear any of this. The more she was talking the worse things were getting. The last thing on the planet Kate wanted to do was sit around and talk up Jennelyn to George. "Why don't you just ask him if you want to go with him?"

"What? No! Of course I'm not going to ask him, that's too forward."

"Oh and asking your friend to do all your dirty work isn't too underhanded? Jenn I know George really well, I think he would much rather have you come outright and ask instead of having me try to influence him." A moment of silence ensued between them and Jennelyn seemed to think over her options.

"Just please do it? If he hasn't asked me by the Wednesday before the visit I'll ask him myself."

There was no way she was going to get out of this without having a huge fight. Kate loathed fighting with Jenn; she had the ability to stay angry for weeks. "Fine, I'll try but no promises."

And then as if they'd never just bordered on an argument Jenn's blue eyes widened and a smile crossed her face. "You're the best Kate!"

* * * * *

The common room was packed to capacity. Fred and George had managed to capture a good table in the common room where they were sitting with Alicia, Angelina and Lee. The five of them were perusing their own activities. The girls were both deep in the throes of homework while Lee was brushing up on a book of commentating that professor McGonagall had provided for him. George was reviewing some business plans with Fred.

Mostly they were bickering over the heading they had used for the new order forms. The name had already been picked out for the joke business but Fred thought it would be appropriate to have their names under the heading in smaller bold print type. George thought he was being an idiot. Everyone knew the Weasleys, it seemed completely improbable that buyers weren't going to know who ran the WWW's.

"Still it looks a bit more professional doesn't it?" Fred insisted, shoving the parchment under his nose. Rolling his eyes George held the parchment away and examined the beautifully scrolled writing and then the staunch print beneath.

"Not particularly and since when were we going for professional? We're selling jokes not appropriately bottomed cauldrons." They both looked up and shared an identical grin. "Really Fred I think the header with the name is just fine. We don't need to announce to the whole world who the brains behind the business are."

Snorting, Fred crumbled up George's sheet of paper and threw it away. Just before he could protest his brother placed a hand on his shoulder. "Because we certainly wouldn't want to be the center of attention would we?"

The words stopped George clean in his tracks and there was a moment's pause. Now that Fred put it that way the whole idea made quite a bit more sense. "Names it is!" He said and then set aside the new heading before they moved onto their next order of business.

"Do you business meetings really need to take place in the common room? It's getting quite old, listening to you bicker all the effing time." Angelina's voice cut through their next subject. Looking up they both blinked at her before grinning widely.

"Careful Ang, you don't want to irritate us."

"Else you might find a canary cream," said George.

"Right in your morning eggs." Fred continued and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Imagine explaining that to Flitwick in Charms."

Narrowing her eyes she ignored Alicia and Lee's laughter and turned back to her Defense essay. "Keep irritating me and I'll hit you so hard with a beater's bat you won't remember your own names."

Fred tossed his head back in a buoyant laugh. "Temper, temper Ang," he said wagging his finger at her.

Before she could retort Ron approached them and with no invitation sat down in the last empty seat. George groaned and looked around the common room wildly, was there anywhere else he could banish his brother to? He'd been saving that seat for Kate when she returned from wherever she'd been with that git Delancourt. "More joke stuff?" He prodded into their conversation snatching up the product list Fred had just pulled out.

"Yes and it would do you well to keep your long nose out of it." George snapped and snatched the paper away as Ron was reading it.

"Dear little brother it isn't that George and I don't love you."

Fred shared a looked with George and they smirked. "Because we haven't quite decided yet."

"But isn't it about time you made up with Harry? I'm sure he misses you

more than we do when you're gone." Fred finished and made motions with his hands for Ron to scurry away.

"Not until he admits the truth about putting his name in the goblet." Ron snarled and opened his Charms book to start his homework. George shared a look with Fred, communicating the fact that they both knew. It was just no use to try and shoo him off. Ron could be as stubborn as they could be when it came to holding grudges and staying angry.

Instead he coaxed his brother back to business. "I am going to kill whoever told Ian Haynes where the kitchens are." Kate's voice filled George's ears sometime later. Her normally pleasant tone was marred b her sudden influx of anger. Looking up, he went for an innocent expression and had to bite back a laugh. Her eyes were narrowed, hands on her hips and her hair was askew over her shoulders.

Lee was the first to find his voice through his momentary shock. "I think it might have been you why?"

"Well then I'll just run off and hang myself in my closet. I'm going to wring his handsome neck that stupid interrupting idiot." Now George was fighting laughter. He was also guessing that he'd want to personally thank Ian later for interrupting whatever had been going on.

Alicia was the only one not thoroughly amused by the situation. "What happened?"

"I was down there enjoying, dessert, with Stephen when Ian bursts into the kitchens howling about some stupid paper drama or the other. More about the mess Viola left behind when she quit." Kate said and George suddenly didn't fancy the dark expression on her face. He'd never seen her quite so put out before.

Ron had turned around to goggle silently at her and George's fingers itched to smack him upside the back of his head. Fred however leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms behind his head. "So basically he interrupted a good snog?"

The sensation George felt was something akin to walking through a ghost. Only it was more as if someone had poured ice water straight into his stomach. Sure he knew that they were dating but George had really hoped that they weren't quite to the snogging stage yet. "For your information, not that it's any of your business, yes! We were having a very nice kiss when Ian came in."

Fred laughed and so did Lee. "Leave it to socially awkward Haynes to kill the moment." Alicia sympathized but in a split second caught alarmed eyes with George.

"Well now he needs me to get my copy of the layouts and bring them down to the Dungeon to review before night hours start." Kate said and stormed away, still cursing under her breath.

Fred and Lee were still laughing. Across them Alicia and Angelina were hurriedly whispering to each other and Alicia was still shooting worried glances at him. Then Fred clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Stop looking like you saw Snape in the shower mate. This only means you'll have to try harder!" His brother crowed.

"Try harder for what?" Ron asked, bringing his eyes back from the entrance to the girl's dorm.

"Don't worry little bro, I'll tell you when you're older." Fred's comment elicited another round of arguing which George chose to ignore. Instead he thought about Fred's words. His brother was right. Maybe the whole reason Kate was snogging Delancourt instead of him was because he simply wasn't putting in enough effort.

**Ah Ian does it again! This time I don't think George is complaining too much though. Next chapter has my favorite scene from the draft (which is currently at 118 pages!) Anyway tell me what you think; I worked very hard on the column and on the twin's interactions. I wanted to portray more of their deviousness and also I didn't want to lose their places in the plot of GOF. It's actually been fun talking about their blackmailing schemes and examining the early days of the WWW's. **

**Thanks a million times over for reading, now if you would be so kind as to click the little review box below and let me know what you think! Much love-Brose**


	9. Love and the Boys Club

**A/N: Hello! This update comes to you maybe earlier than expected. Overall this isn't the strongest chapter but I have to say I love Fred and Kate's interaction at the beginning of this chapter. That being said, everything in the boy's club has been my favorite stuff to write so far. I wanted to give a bit of scope as to how good of friends she is with the boys so it doesn't seem like Kate just sort of exists in their world only as George's love interest. **

**It's a fairly long chapter and I think some of you will be happy with the developments! From here on out some relationships are going to change, for better and worse. **

**Thanks to my wonderful reviewers: LaLa-036, HarryPotterRocks09, vampire-luver101, SlowTheRain, and Miss-Paparella! You are all fantastic!**

Chapter 8: Love and the Boys Club

Another week and a half passed for Kate. Ian had pushed her so hard to the grinding stone that she'd actually forgotten to finish an Arithmancy assignment. She'd slept in the Dungeon three nights in a row and was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Her ponytails had gotten progressively messier and by the time Friday the thirteenth rolled around, Kate was praying for bad luck and a portrait falling on her so she could knock out in the hospital wing for the weekend.

Dragging into Charms she dropped her bag on the table she shared with Alicia and Angelina. "Miss Kelley please remember there are dress codes," said Professor Flitwick as he hurried into the classroom.

Nodding she waved her hand absently and started to tuck in her shirt. "No offense Kate but you look awful." Angelina said and tossed her an elastic band. Shooting her a grateful look, Kate began to braid her wet hair before adjusting her knee socks and straightening her tie.

"Robes as well Miss Kelley," sad Flitwick as he began passing out graded worksheets. "However, excellent job on your assignment." Kate managed a shadow of a smile as she observed the 'O' in shining gold on the top of her paper. Just as she shrugged her robes on she slumped back down into her seat and pulled out the events article she was supposed to be editing.

"Do you ever stop with that paper?" Angelina asked leaning over her shoulder.

Shaking her head, Kate fought a yawn. "It doesn't seem that way."

"This is the fifth morning you've gone with no breakfast by the way." Alicia approached with George in tow. She was carrying a tiny jar of jam and an orange and he held a goblet of pumpkin juice and a muffin wrapped in a cloth napkin.

Kate released the breath she'd been holding and managed a tired, but bright smile for her friends. In a move of affection she got to her feet and hugged Alicia tightly and then leaned over, squeezing George's hand and kissing his cheek. "You two are incredible," she said and quickly began to eat before Flitwick started the lesson.

Alicia settled down in her seat as George went to join Fred and Lee. Kate had just finished her muffin when Flitwick waved his wand and her things vanished. "Apologies Miss Kelley but you know the rules."

"Absolutely sir," she said and put away her things whipping out her wand and notes.

"Now you all have studied the theory behind non-verbal motion charms we are going to practice on each other in pairs." Kate was gathering her things and was about to ask Alicia when a voice gilled her ear.

"Shall we partner 'living dead' version of Kate?" She looked down at the hand on her shoulder, and caught the black leather band. Nodding she got to her feet and gathered her wand and sheets on theory. "The back of the classroom then?"

"Lead the way Apocalypse One!" Fred laughed in response to the nickname and with a grand gesture motioned to the corner near the windows. Flitwick was calling instructions over the heads of students as he worked through the classroom. "You first or me?" She asked.

"Ladies first of course." And bowed to her. With a quick flick of his wand he moved the large purple cushions to sit behind him.

Kate lifted her wand out and tried to remember the basic theory. Movement then incantation immediately after. Two downward wrist movements in rapid succession. Carefully she took in Fred's height and stature, and then imagined moving him fast across the floor. _Locomotor Fred! _ She thought. Almost as soon as she did the movement he tumbled backwards, falling onto the pillows. "Sorry Fred!" She managed and pushed her braid over her shoulder.

Clambering to his feet he chuckled and smoothed his sweater out. "Please don't apologize during the whole lesson, it will get seriously old." Fighting a smile Kate nodded and squared her body position to try again. "Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did," said Kate biting a smile.

"When was the last time you've had a night to have fun?" Fred asked her. "Because I know for a fact that you're serving detention with Professor Vector tonight for not submitting an assignment."

Her jaw dropped. Kate thought she'd managed to keep that one quiet. "How did you?"

Fred laughed. "George and I have detention with McGonagall tonight, said she'd have to coordinate."

Kate tried again and this time he shot back a couple inches before tumbling back over. It took her biting down on her lip hard to keep from apologizing. Instead she gave him a hand up. "In answer to your question it's probably been the scrimmage match a few Fridays ago." This time he went a full foot.

"Hey good work," he said managing to keep his balance as he stopped. "That's a really depressing time to go without any fun Kate," he mused and then grinned widely at her.

Raising a brow she tried to get her tired mind to keep up with his changing expressions. "I don't think I like where you're going with any of this."

"I'm not going anywhere with anything," he replied feigning innocence. Kate knew better, there had never been a time that Fred was innocent. "Anyway enough of your work, it's my turn." Kate offered him a hand up and he got to his feet, dusting off his trousers. Stepping back he moved into the shaft of weak sunlight that spilled through the high window. Fred ran his fingers through his flaming red hair and then pointed his wand at her.

Kate wasn't prepared for his spell and he performed the nonverbal magic with stunning accuracy. A force pressed her body backward as if she was on a very fast conveyer belt. With absolutely no grace or preparation she tumbled onto the cushions behind her. Her instant reaction was to smooth down her pleated skirt and then shoot Fred a mutinous glance. The devious boy was laughing too hard to fully appreciate her death glare. "Jerk," she said and got up, doing the best she could to keep her knees shut.

"Sorry Kate the opportunity was too good to pass up. Won't do it again I swear." With a flick of his wand a white flag erupted from the tip and fluttered over her head until she reached up and caught it.

"Good or I'll be forced to break my promise and break my writer's block on you," said Kate and even she heard the misery in her voice.

This time she held her skirt in place as Fred successfully moved her back, and then forward again. "Surely you don't have writer's block," said Fred and then arched a brow as she shook her head.

After all the hell she'd been through since the last column had come through Kate suddenly found herself a dry well of ideas. Turning to her own life had initially seemed promising enough, until she realized what was going on in her life. Dating Stephen Delancourt certainly wasn't up for discussion and neither were her suspicions of Fred and Angelina, nor Alicia's pining for Justin Boot. "I've got absolutely nothing," said Kate as she lifted her wand to practice on Fred.

This time her wrist flicks were perfectly timed and with a few quick nonverbal words he turned in a very neat circle. "When is your deadline?"

"Monday by six in the morning. That's when Ian goes down to start the final layout," she answered. For a moment Fred was silent as he contemplated her words and then looked up with a grin.

"I bet I can help."

Kate rolled her eyes; she remembered the last time he'd offered suggestions. "I am not going to write about the innumerable reasons to date Gryffindors over every other house, nor am I planning to inform the entire upper year population just how incredible of a snog you are." Then she paused and tossed a smirk his direction. "Even if it is true."

Mollified, Fred reached up to straighten his tie. "I can assure you that it is, unless you'd like to have first hand knowledge." The wink he gave her earned a laugh. "Just give me a bit of time and I'll come up with something good."

She flicked her wand and his body zoomed closer to hers. Lifting her non-wand hand she ruffled his hair. "You give me a good idea and I'll even give you credit for it."

Thirty minutes later as she walked out of class, Kate was not at all surprised to see Fred talking in hushed voices with Lee and George.

* * * * *

George was walking briskly next to Lee. Each of them had a large bag slung over one shoulder and a matching grin. Magically altered inside, each bag held three bottles of wine and wrapped boxes of food. Once again the house elves had risen beautifully to the occasion of providing a veritable feast for their small party of four.

Inside his chest his heart was pounding. Ever since Charms yesterday he had been anticipating this evening. Their once a month Saturday night routine was going to swell out to include Kate. Fred had informed his twin and best mate about Kate's inability to write and he thought maybe an evening with them would give her some material to work with. She, of course, knew nothing of their scheming but while Fred did the kidnapping he and Lee had gone to get the libations.

"D'you think he got her up to the dormitory?" Lee's voice cut through his thoughts. Turning his head to examine Lee, George nodded.

"Course he did. Fred can talk anyone into anything can't he? Besides Alicia and Angelina went out to the pitch with Katie for practice right? So they couldn't intervene." George reasoned and felt his hope continue to swell. It was an irrational hope, he was well aware that she was dating Stephen. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe she would still change her mind and see him standing before her.

After all, he had brought her breakfast several days in the past week and had even taken diligent notes in Runes and Arithmancy for her to use. When she wasn't with Delancourt she was sitting next to him, using him as a leaning post while she tiredly worked through meals or tried to decipher Transfiguration. "She didn't have plans with Delancourt did she?" Lee inquired.

"Nah, he's on prefect duty tonight," said George and stopped before the Fat Lady. "Balderdash," he pronounced and the portrait swung open to reveal the very full common room.

People were greeting them left and right, and several of the students in their year tried to get the pair to stay. "Got some business to attend to, must go." Lee said for them both as they finally made it to the stairs. Up they went to their three-bed dormitory. "Fred when you said you were going to kidnap Kate we didn't think you meant it so literally."

George stepped into the room and immediately burst into laughter. Kate's responding glare was almost enough to quiet him, but didn't quite reach the mark. Still chuckling he shut the door behind him and locked it. "You could probably let her go you know," he mused looking over at his brother who was conjuring all the pillows and blanket in the room to create a very cushy sitting area in the room.

"He's afraid I'll murder him if he lets me loose." Kate growled from where she sat on George's bed, ankles tied and body wrapped up in a shining crimson ribbon. "Fred thought it'd be hilarious to tell me he needed my help with something in the dorm and then tie me up until you lot got here."

Still laughing, George set his bag down and crossed the room to his bed. For a split second he had to admit, it was a tempting prospect to kick his brother and friend out of the room. Just the mere sight of Kate Kelley sitting on his bed wrapped up in a bright ribbon was enough to send his train of thought dangerously close to derailing. "If I let you free will you promise not to attack Fred? I'm quite fond of him see."

Rolling her eyes she sighed. "I'm not promising anything," she said resolutely.

Shaking his head, he didn't even fight to control his smile. Kneeling on the ground so she was a few inches taller than him, he placed his hands on her bare knees. "It's only a bit of fun, so let's not ruin the festivities with unnecessary violence shall we?" He asked and then gave her what he hoped was his winning smile.

Whatever he had done or said it did the trick. Slumping forward she sighed in resignation, Kate nodded. "I promise I won't attack Fred, but only if you tell me why I've been forcibly held in this room." George stood and reached around her body to get to the bow that tied the ribbon. For a moment could have sworn she felt the sudden rise in heat as his arms were around her body. Not for the first time in recent history they were close, so very close to each other.

Then it was over. As soon as the bow was loose she managed to extricate herself from the ribbon and untied her ankles. "You're still a jerk Fred, even if I said I wouldn't hurt you." Kate mumbled and then got on her feet, straightening her running shorts that she wore with a long sleeved t-shirt.

"And he didn't even tell you why you've been kidnapped. That absent idiot." Lee teased as he started pulling bottles out of the bag. Fred had finished his handy wand work and turned to face them with a cheeky grin.

"Welcome Kate to the monthly boys club!" George proclaimed happily and started fishing around in his desk drawer for a corkscrew.

She stood in the middle of Fred's elaborate and comfortable setup, hands on her hips. Her eyes swept the large sitting pillows that were outfitted with blankets and several more throw pillows. Everything was in shades of crimson and muted gold. "So, once a month you all recline amongst a sea of pillows and drink wine?" She asked disbelieving.

"Well not quite," said Fred with a wide grin. "Normally we sneak out to Hogsmeade, but I knew we would have enough trouble ripping you away from that stupid paper as it was. Potentially earning a million lost points and detention didn't seem very promising."

"So we changed the location," said Lee as he flopped back onto one of the pillows. "And good thing too, it's bloody cold outside."

George noted out of the corner of his eye that she was fighting a smile. "So what you guys sneak out to the pub and muse on your manly greatness? Or talk quidditch?"

Coming around he placed his hands on her shoulders and led her to a pillow. With a gentle squeeze, he got her to sink down onto the floor and settle herself on one pillow. He was no idiot and took the opportunity to set himself up right next to her. Waving his wand he summoned one of the bottles and dug the corkscrew in. "I do believe she's missing the point Fred," he said and with a loud pop, the cork came out.

"My dear Kate, when I said I would come up with something to help you with your article this was my musing! We don't talk about our greatness or about quidditch all the time," said Fred bearing open boxes of brownies and various puff pastries. "We talk about girls quite a bit too."

Silence filled the room as everyone waited for Kate to say something. For a moment her mouth opened and then shut as she tried to find the words. "You mean to tell me that you're going to let me in on talking shop?"

"Precisely," said George and he started pouring glasses.

"Anything you want to know," said Lee.

"We're equal to the task of sharing." Fred picked a rather fat pastry covered in a shining chocolate shell.

Sitting up straight for a moment, Kate accepted her wine and turned her eyes on each of them in turn. "As in no holding back, literally any detail I want to know?"

"Provided you write nothing name or situation specific, yes." Fred answered around a mouthful of chocolate mousse cream.

George cast his eyes to her face and watched the reaction. Slowly, but steadily the smile emerged and to him it was as if the sun was rising. Her cheeks lifted and light filled her iron colored eyes. In that moment she didn't seem to have heavy shadows beneath her eyes, nor did she seem slightly pale and hollowed from lack of sleep. Instead her smile was white and glowing and he knew that the entire night was worth it to just see that expression. "Deal," said Kate holding her glass to toast.

* * * * *

Of all the things Kate thought she would end up doing on her Saturday night, this was not one of them. Two empty bottles lay on the floor, along with wrappers from various baked goods and the corks from the first three wine bottles. Her hair was splayed out on the pillow supporting her head as she stretched her legs out before her. The dim light in the boy's dormitory cast pleasant shadows on the walls and she cradled her wine glass in her hands.

Warmth filled every cell of her body to capacity. Whether it was the good company, the excellent food or the perfectly aged alcohol that had given her boost Kate didn't know. Nor did she particularly care as she laughed with the twins and Lee.

Fred was furthest from her, sprawled across three large sitting pillows. He was taking delight in tracing his finger over the rim of his wine glass. The way he let his body stretch out reminded Kate of how toned both the twins were, quidditch had certainly done well by them. Lee was on her right a little ways away, picking at one of the corks. His dreadlocks fell into his eyes as he reached over to steal the last cream puff. George was, as always, next to her.

His head was resting near her elbow and his body extended out away from her. Dressed in a fitted black t-shirt and striped pajama pants had made him seem very different to Kate. Again, if it was the wine or some other force Kate didn't know, but she was having a hard time not admiring him. Every time he moved she would see it out of the corner of her eye. There was a distinct pull in his shoulders when he shifted, or she would see his strong muscle slide beneath the smooth skin on his arms. She felt that for the first time ever, she was truly looking at George.

Ignoring him for the present she bent over her notebook and scribbled down a few more notes. "Whoa, whoa you're going to have to slow down with me here and elaborate a bit," she said, shock coloring her voice. "You're trying to tell me that Parvati 'at fifteen I've snogged half of Gryffindor' Patil is a wretched snog?"

Fred chuckled. "Merlin's beard she was bad." And he drained his wine glass before reaching for the open bottle. George sat up to hand it to him. Absently she noted that his shoulders were broad and moved with incredible grace and ease.

"How is that possible? From what it sounds she's had enough practice." Leaning back she shook her head and took a few more notes.

"Sighs a lot and giggles every time you try to take it any further." Lee said, agreeing with Fred.

The twin in question laughed and ran his fingers through his collar length hair. "I forgot you snogged her too." Kate felt her jaw drop and she flitted her gaze between Lee and Fred before rounding on George.

"And you too?" She asked.

Shrugging he seemed very flush but managed a grin. "She wanted to know if Fred and I kissed the same. I felt it my duty to educate her."

A thought occurred to Kate as he spoke. "Do you two kiss the same?" She asked.

The twins shared a rather amused glance before returning to her. "Would you like to find out? I hear we don't, but seeing as I've never kissed George over there." Fred joked casually and then made a kissing face at her. "I'd love to be first."

Fred had to duck just in time to miss the pillow she aimed at him. "Not even remotely funny," said Kate, but there was a smile on her face. "Wow when they say half of Gryffindor they're not joking."

Lee laughed and waved his wand, sending the wine bottle over to him. "Her friend Lavender isn't much better either." He must have read her expression of incredulity wrong. "Hey this was all before Katie, I am very firmly a one woman man now."

Next to her George chuckled. "Yeah only because you're getting a good snog and or shag on a regular basis," Fred teased from his spot.

"I don't see you getting much the same treatment over where you are."

Kate decided to intervene before things got out of hand. "What else are you three holding back? There's suddenly so much I never knew about any of you before."

Not surprisingly it was Fred who sat up straighter and shook his head. "No, not without a little something in return. If we're going to share some of our darker romantic secrets and escapades you have to give something back. And honestly too," he added in for good measure and a wink.

Nervously, she took a sip of her wine and contemplated his terms. Unfortunately she'd had just enough that it sounded like a perfect idea. "Alright deal, under the agreement that if anyone spills anything I have the right to print whatever I choose in the paper, names and all." Her gaze landed directly on Fred, who was known for his inability to keep his mouth shut.

"God knows I don't want you printing certain things all over the school," he said and nodded. "And if that's the case then you must answer a question for me." His wine was getting dangerously low in the glass. Behind her there was a distinct pop of a cork. "Just how gifted is Ian Haynes?"

The question wasn't exactly shocking. Everyone knew that she and Ian had their fling the previous year. Everyone also knew that there had been certain times the previous year when the News Dungeon was locked off to all other staff members. "He's fantastic," she said, her cheeks burning hot from embarrassment.

"Really?" Lee questioned and there was disappointment all over his features. "Damn I was hoping he'd be awful and even out the playing field."

"Ah but you forget that he's a social recluse who probably turns to ash in direct sunlight." Next to her George chuckled.

"Tell me about the best snog you've ever had." Kate implored to her friends.

A wave of nostalgia seemed to sweep over the room and as the three boys got lost in their own thought Kate felt a realization dawn on her. In all likelihood each of these boys was way out of her league experientially. "Angelina Johnson, no two ways around it." Fred finally conceded and then mirrored her expression of amused confirmation. "Yeah, yeah you've known for ages now you actually know for real. Only don't tell her because she thinks she's doing this great job keeping it under wraps."

"Hard to do when the two of you show up from 'study sessions' and her knee socks are uneven and half your shirt is untucked." Kate murmured and sipped her wine.

"Well of course I have to say Katie." Lee mused.

Exasperated, Kate turned to George. "They're both boring. At least you're bound to have something good for me," she prodded. Immediately his skin flushed and he looked uncomfortable, as if she was setting him up before a firing squad.

Shrugging he tugged on the leg of his pajama pants and then turned his eyes to his wine. "I dunno really," said George awkwardly.

Fred's unattractive snort caught Kate's attention. "He's such a liar. Come on George be out with it then."

"Alright, alright! It was Holly Abbott. We dated all last year y'know? Anyway she was pretty good." And Kate vividly remembered Holly Abbott's stunning chocolate curls framing her porcelain face. The Hufflepuff sixth year was easily one of the prettiest girls in their year, if not the entire upper year populace. Somehow she had fallen hook, line and sinker for George Weasley and there had been a solid five months where it was almost impossible to see the twins without her mega watt smile.

"And you miss Kelley?"

Now that her mind had been forced into it she knew the honest answer but couldn't bring herself to say it. "Ian," she tried lamely but even Lee called her bluff. "Alright, alright if you must know it was Oliver Wood."

"Shut. Your. Mouth." Fred was so shocked he seemed almost unable to get those words out. Kate sank deeper into her pillow hoping it would swallow her whole. However when she did this she was met with George's eyes, imploring and for a moment she swore she saw the traces of hurt etched into the beautiful hazel. It was as if he deeply regretted being a part of this conversation. "You and Wood?"

"Yeah, it was sometime last spring. I had been interviewing a couple of the quidditch players and captains about their dating habits for an article. One second we were jut talking in the changing rooms and the next minute I was pressed against his locker." If her memory served right she'd also snogged him across the benches as well.

Lee whistled and Fred was laughing yet again. "Blimey I can't believe you made out with Wood. Wait you two didn't shag did you?"

George flinched so hard at his brother's words that he knocked his wine glass over. His twin caught the action and for a fraction of a second a frown creased Fred's handsome features. "No we didn't shag," said Kate.

"Oi Lee, let's run down to the kitchens and get some more wine, we're down on our last bottle and don't want to run out. George, don't let her escape." Kate wanted to say something more to him but they were already gone.

"Never shagged good old Wood?" George's soft voice cut through the air and she looked down to see him lying on his side, staring at her.

Shaking her head slowly she drained the remainder of her glass. "No, I've err, never done that with anyone before actually."

His features remained passive although seemingly more strained. "Why, have you?" Kate asked, unable to keep the raging curiosity from her voice. If his deep blush wasn't answer enough he nodded.

"Yeah, first time last year." She didn't need to ask to confirm who it was. His entire world outside of Fred had seemingly revolved around the eldest Abbott girl.

"Wow," she said softly. Something inside of her was twisting in agony. Kate knew it was a common thing; many of her friends had already lost their 'precious gifts' as her older sister had once jokingly called it. The fact that George was in that statistic made her more uncomfortable than she could ever quantify and suddenly she felt the rather angry urge to break things. Holly's face was apparently one of them.

"Not something I regret but certainly not something I think I'm proud of." George admitted softly. "But don't tell Fred that, he was immensely proud when I'd joined the ranks of dignified manhood as he called it." The warm tone in his voice went great lengths to mollify her ruffled feelings. Just like Kate hated the idea of George dating Jennelyn, she also hated the idea of George sleeping with someone else.

Kate reclined further into the mountain of pillows, trying to banish the thoughts from her mind and tugged on the hem of her running shorts. Next to her George's head was right at her elbow. Looking down the fought a smile, his eyes were shut and his hair fluttered easily over his brows. Taking the moment of rare silence from him she examined his facial features. George was rapidly shedding the last vestiges of childhood and she silently admired the strong angle of his jaw. His mouth was full but not too feminine and a straight nose was set beneath his stunning hazel eyes.

With no warning his eyes opened and locked onto hers. A grin curved his mouth upward. "You can keep staring, I know it's hard to look away from my glowing features." Kate had the grace to blush and she poked his shoulder in retaliation. "A fatal blow," he teased and she shifted her body.

"May I ask you a question?" She inquired.

"Fire away Kate," said George, a very lazy hitch in his normal flow.

Biting her lip she hesitated on the question and then threw her caution aside. "What were you thinking about just then? You seemed very intent in your thoughts." Kate asked and sipped what remained of the wine in her glass.

His eyes searched up to find hers again. "All this talk of old memories reminds me of the first day we all met. Do you remember it?"

Kate smiled, she hadn't thought about that day in a long time. However it was still fresh in her memory as if it had happened naught a week ago. Of course, forgetting their first encounters was impossible. The twins, even at age eleven, were if nothing else memorable. "How on earth could anyone who was there forget that? I thought Filch was going to have a heart attack and Charlie looked like he was caught between strangling the two of you and laughing his head off."

George chuckled and sat up a bit to prop himself up by the elbows. "Well Fred and I are not, nor have we ever been the 'come and go quietly' types have we?"

"I'd say that putting a Zonko's Screaming Streamer Bomb down the back of Percy's robes counts as a show stopping entrance. Did you ever see McGonagall's face after it exploded?" Kate could clearly remember standing directly behind Percy when the bomb went off. She, among several other students had screamed when the thing went off, shooting multicolored streamers out of the neck and sleeves of Percy's robes.

"What was it Fred and I said to you at the table when we were all sorted?" He asked, his voice taking on a lazy drawl.

At last she found something worth laughing over. "I asked how to tell the two of you apart and you said 'that's for us to know, and you to find out,'" His chuckle joined hers.

"May I ask you the same question? What were you thinking about when you were looking at me just then?"

Kate struggled to find the right words. How was she supposed to just up and tell one of her best friends she thought he was handsome, beautiful, gorgeous, whatever word you wanted to use? Yet as their eyes locked she found the traces of a warm smile on her mouth. This was George she was with, not some boy that she had to try and impress, and they had always been honest with each other. "You have very classic looks," she admitted. "I dunno, I guess I've just never noticed how very aristocratic and handsome your features are."

True to his humorous nature he pretended to fan himself and sat up, groping for his wine. With a tap of his wand and a complicated incantation his wine was now ice water. Gulping it down he looked at her straight on. "Stop Kate, you're making me blush."

Not for the first time that night they were close. "Just take the compliment and don't let it go to your head too much."

"I promise I won't." Kate's heart was pounding in her chest as he leaned closer. They were going to kiss, she knew they were. His hand was touching hers as they both drew nearer and nearer at the same time. His breath was sweet from the wine and as she closer her eye she took a deep breath. George smelled absolutely divine, she had no idea how she'd ever missed the mixture of soap, subtle cologne and something that was very undeniably George. Her mind was wrapping around what it could have been when she felt the slight brush of his lips against hers. All at once two faces bloomed in the back of her mind and she pulled away.

Instead of becoming angry of even grimacing a chuckle escaped his lips and a softer smile took place of his usual beaming grin. "Ah Kate, you're going to drive me crazy if you keep that up." Their eyes met and the realization hit Kate like a hippogriff had just sat on top of her.

He fancied her. All of her friends had been right for weeks in their poking and prodding the situation. George Weasley really and truly fancied her. As they leaned away and she took in his face once more everything fell into place. All of the small gestures, the paper frog, bringing her breakfast and even his discomfort at the conversation tonight were because he liked her.

And Kate had never felt so blind or stupid in her life. Before she could say anything however the door opened and Lee and George reappeared. "Kitchen was low on wine but we did manage to get a bottle of Firewhiskey from some seventh years." Fred held up the dark bottle with a wicked grin.

Out of the corner of her eye Kate saw George's expression rearrange to take on a happily evil smile. She knew that there wouldn't be an opportunity for the rest of the night to expound upon her latest discovery. All she knew as she accepted her glass from Lee was that she was going to have one hell of a hangover the next morning.

**If there is anyone else sitting back staring at the computer shouting "she finally gets it!" Don't worry I did too when I wrote this chapter. If you're also preparing to throw things at the computer in hopes of hitting me, don't worry I have fast reflexes and plan to make it up to you soon! **

**The next chapter features the girls, a bit of Ian, lots of guilt and Fred being an idiot! In the meantime…there's a box below and if you put your ear really close to the computer it's saying 'click me, click me!' Much love-Brose**


	10. Love and the Forgotten Birthday

**A/N: For the record I am SO sorry that this took so long to get out. I have been **_**insanely**_** busy for the last couple weeks. However this is a nice little chapter to kind of keep things moving along. I think it feels a little rushed, but hopefully it will all work out. **

**Just to let you guys know…I was listening to the Glee soundtrack while I wrote the last half. If you don't watch/listen to Glee you definitely should, some of their covers are wayy incredible. **

**Anyway massive thanks to everyone who alerted/favorited. But to my reviewers, you are truly fantastic and I hope this chapter helps make up for my absence. I received the most reviews yet for this one so thanks to:**

Chapter 9: Love and the Forgotten Birthday

"Although I must confess that the gap between sexes is clear even in talking about one another. Boys tend to celebrate their manly achievements regarding snogging, shagging and everything in between. The gentler sex prefers to expound upon the many intricacies of what tall, dark and Hufflepuff's casual 'hello' meant. Does he like me? Why did he only say hello, does he not know my name? Do you think he's been trying to talk to me for week? Why didn't I say something clever back? You get the point.

"Boys however seem to have a much easier time on the subject. In fact, I would go so far as to say the female population could take a leaf from the manual of manly conversation. Sometimes 'hello' is just hello and when it comes down to it, some of the details are better spared." Ian's voice trailed off as he continued to read her article draft aloud. Curfew was rapidly approaching and Kate was still down in the Dungeon with Ian.

Their younger staff was dismissed an hour prior to get to their common room before their curfew hit. The rest of the senior staff was busy finishing the final layout for the paper to be released that next morning. Kate was trying to finish the dates on the calendar but her mind was completely blank. From her spot on the step stool she leaned against the wall, twirling her wand absently in her fingers.

"Kate this is good stuff, thought provoking and a bit amusing. Did you really get the inspiration from Fred Weasley?" Ian's voice passed through her ears but seemed to not register.

How had she gone almost all fall term without realizing George fancied her? Now that she knew it seemed to painfully obvious, he hadn't exactly been subtle about it. The paper frog he had given her was still sitting on her desk, perched next to a photo of their group of friends. Eventually the hopping charm had worn off but every once in a while the green frog would ribbit feebly. Every morning he saved a seat in the Great Hall for her regardless of whether or not she ate with them. Not to mention all those notes he took for her. George never took good notes, at least not until recently.

"Kate! Earth to Kate!" Ian's voice was so loud this time that she jerked from her state and as a result her wand clattered to the floor, releasing a spray of violet sparks that danced along the hem of Ian's robes. "Merlin's pants are you trying to set the whole place on fire?" He cried.

Kate was so startled that she lost her balance and tumbled from the step stool. Stepping in just in time, Ian caught her with waiting arms. However he had not prepared for her full weight and they tumbled backwards onto the floor. Glaring at her, Ian got to his feet and gave her a rough hand up. "Sorry Ian," said Kate as she stooped to pick up her wand.

"What is going on with you? I can't get you to focus on anything all week. Your editorials were turned in a mess and the column had more misspellings than I'd ever seen from you before you corrected it." Sighing he raked a hand through his dark curls and came around his desk to gather up the last of the material for the final layout.

"I've just been a bit distracted is all," she said trying to meld her voice into casual carelessness. Which wouldn't have fooled anyone, including her sharp editor.

Looking up he seemed to take in her disheveled appearance before rolling his eyes. "A bit distracted might be the understatement of the year. Will you please tell me what is going on so we can talk it out and you can be productive again?"

It was Kate's turn to roll her eyes as she sat on the corner of her desk. Lifting her hand she directed her wand to the quill that quivered on the social calendar. Deciding it was safer to conduct business from where she sat, she began to wave out directions and the quill started scribing the beginning of the various holiday events. "There's not much to talk about Ian. Just stressed what with the first village visit, plus exams, plus all this mess." As she spoke she gestured to the social calendar. The squares were beginning to get so full that she was resorting to color coding the different events. "Otherwise everything is perfectly fine."

Except for the fact that one of her closest friends fancied her. Never mind the fact that she was casually dating Stephen Delancourt. Forget Jennelyn Ward who was bugging her at every opportune moment to find out George's feelings for her. Definitely cast aside the fact that if they dated and everything went wrong it would be a nightmare. Besides, Kate reasoned, she didn't fancy him in return. No, George was just a friend. Who happened to have the most stunning hazel eyes she'd ever seen.

"You're an awful liar but I can see you're not inclined to share." This single statement from Ian caused Kate's head to snap up. An emotion was laced through that she'd seldom heard from him. Yet she had not imagined the hurt in his tone. Had she unwittingly hurt her friend's feelings by not sharing the intimate details of her tangled life?

Ian had turned his back away from her and she watched him walk down the large aisle that cut through various desks and workstations. The layout table ahead of him was a mess of papers and senior staff members desperate to get the issue to print so they could all go to bed. Kate herself was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to crawl into her four-poster and sleep for an eon. Sleeping in late was her only motivation to get through the week to Sunday when she could sleep till noon.

Deciding it was best to not make Ian angrier she quickly returned to filling out the social calendar. Upon his return she tried for an apologetic look. "I'm sorry Ian, I'll try to be more alert," she tried.

"If something is upsetting you or bothering you then I think you should talk about it." Ian's voice dropped low enough so nobody else could hear. "I hope you know that I'm more than just your editor. Really I consider you one of my best friends."

Opening and then closing her mouth for a second, Kate tried to reason around it but the words came out of her mouth before she could stop them. "If I tell you something will you promise to keep it to yourself and to not laugh?"

Giving her his best somber expression, the boy nodded. Even when being a mocking prat he was still so good looking it was ludicrous. "I solemnly swear," said Ian. He, of course, was fighting to keep that slick little smile off his face.

Groaning she buried her face in her hands. In the time it had taken him to do all of this she'd changed her mind seven times. It wasn't like she was telling him some monumental secret. But saying it out loud would make the situation real and that was what frightened her the most. Again her mouth acted of its own accord before the more rational side of her brain could really stop it. "George Weasley fancies me. I figured it out this past Saturday."

For a moment the silence between them was jarring. Until, as she figured he would, Ian started laughing. He laughed so hard that he was doubled over, seemingly beside himself with mirth. "Ah yes, I'm so glad you're taking this seriously." Kate drawled, not even hiding the bite in her voice.

Straightening back up, Ian was still fighting chuckles. "I just can't believe it took you this bloody long to figure it out. Some romance expert you are," said Ian. A wicked grin was attempting to overshadow his amused expression.

Of course the fact that Ian already knew was a surprise to Kate. "How do you know?"

"Oh please Kate, it was so easy to see." Ian replied and reached up to further loosen his tie. "He's been quite painfully obvious, even to me."

Blood rushed her cheeks. "Does that mean other people know?"

This provoked another round of chuckles. Ian slung an arm over her shoulder and pressed his forehead affectionately against her temple. "Kate my dear, everyone knows that he fancies you except for really you. Maybe Jenn but that's cause she's too busy pining for him to notice the truth."

Now more than ever Kate wanted to sink into the floor and never come back up. All this time all of her friends were aware of the situation and she had been walking around blind? "Why didn't you say anything?" She asked.

Ian was silent a moment as he rolled up the sleeves on his shirt. "It was for you to figure out on your own. Besides meddling isn't good for my antisocial reputation. I don't want anyone else to know I'm interested in anybody's social lives." At this Kate couldn't help but smile.

Reaching up she ruffled his hair, much to his chagrin. As he struggled to shake her off he caught her with a serious expression. "Will you let me share an opinion?"

"Of course."

"You've been starry eyed and useless ever since you've joined in on the little secret. You were never that way when you figured out Delancourt had an interest in

You." Then he left her at her desk, open-mouthed.

* * * * *

Wednesday afternoon found Kate at the Ravenclaw table with Cara. The sisters were quietly working through lunch; transfiguration books propped open on the table. Another bad lesson with McGonagall had convinced Kate that she should have blown off her transfiguration O.W.L the previous year. Her current question set on the theory of animal transfiguration was giving her so much trouble she was about to chunk her book at the staff table.

Next to her Cara was sucking on the end of a sugar quill. Her iron eyes were re-reading a paragraph before she started jotting a few sentences down on her current essay. "So any spectacular plans for Friday I should be aware of?"

Shaking her head, Kate kept her eyes on her work and so did Cara. "Not that I know of, why?" She was just dipping her quill into her ink when her sister answered.

"You know this is the second year in a row you'll have forgotten your own birthday then. Only this year you don't have the excuse of Alicia's temporary memory charm accidentally backfiring on you." Kate jolted so hard that she knocked her inkbottle over and it started running all down her parchment. Cursing under her breath she fumbled for her wand but Cara beat her to it. "_Tergeo_,_" _said her smirking sister.

Leaning away from her just saved homework; Kate stared at her sister in open-mouthed shock. Of all the days in her life as a witch, forgetting her seventeenth birthday seemed almost a sin. "Oh my God," she stated dumbly. "Is Friday really the 20th?"

In a moment of pure panic she dove into her bag and pulled out her course schedule and planning notebook. Flicking the pages to November she searched through and sure enough the twentieth was marked as a Friday, this coming Friday. "Sometimes I really worry about you sis," said Cara and she calmly sipped her pumpkin juice.

"I can't believe I forgot," said Kate as she looked at the blank day on her calendar.

"I'm not surprised." Her sister retorted. Fixing her gaze on Cara, Kate prompted her for an answer. "What with your N.E.W.T. classes piling up homework, your quite demanding social schedule, not to mention I think all the work Ian is making you do might be illegal."

"Still, it's my seventeenth birthday," said Kate darkly and she snapped her transfiguration book shut.

Shrugging, Cara bit off a piece of her sugar quill and chewed on it thoughtfully. "It's not too late to throw things together with your friends. Impromptu parties are fun!"

Groaning Kate shook her head and sank lower onto her bench. Fatigue filled her entire body as she thought about the mere notion of adding one more thing to her already packed life. Even if it was her birthday. "All I wanted to do on Friday was sink into bed and not crawl out till Monday morning."

Smirking, Cara reached over and smoothed her sister's hair. "Damned if you've got a date with Delancourt on Saturday. Your birthday should be made by that mere fact alone. Most girls would gladly take that as their only birthday present." Kate felt a small smile toy at the corners of her mouth. Yes, she did have her date with Stephen to look forward to.

The bell started ringing and with a groan, Kate hauled herself to her feet. "Well it's only a birthday, I'm sure it will go just as all the others do," said Kate and smiled when Cara hugged her.

"Somehow I really doubt that. You are about to be seventeen after all. I'll see you sometime before then I'm sure." After a short goodbye Cara made her way to Potions and Kate went to the hall to meet Alicia and Angelina in the hall for Runes.

Instead she found a tall figure leaning against the arched doorway leading to the Great Hall. George's bag was slung casually over his shoulder and his arms were crossed over his chest. "The girls had a lunch meeting for the Transfiguration club. So I thought I might wait for you instead." Was all George said and then he gave her a fantastic smile.

An army of butterflies literally burst forth into Kate's stomach. As they walked towards the main hallway she could feel them performing synchronized drills and her heart started pounding. Flipping her hair over her shoulder she looked up at him and returned his smile. "Thanks for waiting," said Kate and then she hitched her bag higher on her shoulder.

"Anytime," said George and she knew that he wasn't kidding. Suddenly she had no idea what to say to him. In all of their years of friendship Kate had never had a problem talking to George. Now her tongue was nailed to the roof of her mouth. "You alright Kate? You seem a bit dazed."

Shaking her head she tried to stop thinking about how casually his hair fell across his eyes or the way he raked his fingers through it. "Just stretched thin is all. Did you know I forgot my birthday for the second year in a row?"

To her surprise he tossed his head back and laughed. "I was wondering when you'd pick up on that."

Arching an eyebrow she turned to look up at him. "You knew?"

Nodding he gave her a pronounced wink. "All of us know. Did you think we would let your birthday pass with no mention? Alicia told us a couple of days ago," he said with a shrug and steered her in up the right staircase towards their classroom.

Kate sighed. "I feel like a bit of an idiot, forgetting my seventeenth birthday and all."

George made a motion as if he was going to put an arm around her shoulder. Then in an uncharacteristically awkward motion he swung his arm forward sharply, just narrowly missing the back of her head. A brilliant blush rushed his cheeks and Kate felt her jaw drop. Never once could she remember having an awkward moment with George. Their chemistry was always so effortless she didn't even think they were capable of awkward. It seemed, judging by his sudden silence that he was aware of the issue too. "Well trust that we haven't and we'll make sure your day is spectacular!" He attempted in a feeble cover up.

The silence that hung over them for the rest of the walk was so uncomfortable that Kate practically shot through the open door straight to Alicia and Angelina. Both girls gave her confused looks but said nothing as Kate took her seat and whipped out her notebooks. As she started to review her homework she missed the shift from confusion to knowing expressions as Alicia and Angelina's eyes flitted between George and Kate.

* * * * *

The sixth floor contained an entire hallway of study hostels. Each room had a small circular table and four chairs that suited study groups and various clubs. Kate's favorite study room was number seven. The chairs were well worn and incredibly comfortable. Plus the room was tucked away in the back corner with no window to see into the room. All in all the setup was entirely conducive to doing plenty of non-academic related things.

For instance she was spending her Thursday afternoon with all her homework cast aside with Stephen's. His hands were knotted in her hair and she was sitting across his lap. One of her hand was steadying herself, braced against the wall while the other sat at the curve of his neck into shoulder. Stephen's grip held her head close to his while they snogged.

Kate really enjoyed kissing Stephen. He was always relaxed and never pushy. They could flow from conversation to kissing and back with no trouble at all. Plus he had a cute habit of nipping her lower lip and then smiling against her kiss. Absently one of his hands left her hair and came to rest on her knee, his thumb stroking the skin of her lower thigh. They shifted as one into a more comfortable position and she laughed low as he fought to maintain his balance.

"By the way, I hope you don't mind but you won't be receiving your birthday present until Saturday. It's planned in as part of our date." His voice when they'd been snogging was delicious. Usually Kate enjoyed listening to him talk, but now it was a lower tone, husky and just a touch raspy. If voices were edible, she knew that his would be dark chocolate and raspberries.

"You don't have to do anything at all," she responded and slipped her hand behind his neck to bring his head into a better angle.

Their lips met again, melting easily against each other. In a swift motion his tongue parted her lips and darted past them. Kate was more than willing to accommodate him and she responded eagerly. She'd had plenty of practice with kissing, she felt it her duty to learn as much as possible, and Stephen was well placed among her list of super spectacular kisses.

"Of course I did," said Stephen. "You don't think I would let your seventeenth pass with nothing did you? Silly girl." In a teasing motion he tweaked her nose. Reaching up he brushed a few locks of stray hair from her forehead. "Have I mentioned how lovely you look with your hair all tousled like this?"

Blush blossomed in her cheeks and she shook her head. "No," she whispered softly.

"Well, you do. You're stunning actually." He was about to kiss her again when the door banged open.

"I'd like to have a word with you Kate." Jennelyn Ward was standing in the doorway. Her features immediately went from livid to directly appalled. "This is a study hostel, Delancourt I'm sure you have better things to do than snog my best friend. Like working on quidditch plays or homework?" She snapped and Kate arched a brow. She'd never heard Jennelyn speak like that to anyone, ever.

Sitting up a little straighter, Stephen's grip on Kate tightened. "Actually this is my top priority right now."

"Well then you can just stand in the hall and wait." Jennelyn growled. Kate frowned and clambered to her feet. Stephen followed suit, still holding Kate's hand.

Turning to look at him she shrugged helplessly. "I'll see you tomorrow?" She said and he nodded. With a glare at Jennelyn he looked back at Kate and then smiled softly. Just as he always did when they parted ways he leaned down and cupped her face in both hands, kissing her gently.

"Until tomorrow." Then he gathered his things and walked out of the room, leaving Kate to wheel around on Jenn.

"I really hope you have a good reason for acting like you just did."

With a huff, Jennelyn snapped the door shut and dropped her bag on the chair. "You haven't said anything to George have you? When we talked about it you promised and you've not done a damn thing!" She growled. "I mean the least you could have done is find out if he had feelings at all!"

As always when they spoke about George, Kate felt a mixture of intense anger, upset and another strong feeling she didn't quite understand. All she knew was whenever Jenn started to talk about George she had an undeniable urge to pick up the nearest book and chunk it at her head. "Sorry I haven't had time to help. I've been stretched so thin I can barely remember to put on matching knee socks in the morning and button my shirt correctly," said Kate and she sank back down into a chair. Whatever was angering Jenn would boil over.

"Well I guess I would have thought what with us being best friends and all you'd try and make it a priority." Jenn snapped and Kate lifted her head, staring incredulously at her.

"Merlin's beard Jennelyn what on earth happened?"

A moment's pause filled the space between them. "I did what you said I should do. I got my courage up and asked him to go with me to the village."

Horror seemed to replace all other emotions. "And?" Kate prompted when she received no further detail.

Tears were beginning to shine in the girl's eyes. "He said no." Relief took its turn on her current roller coaster, so did the guilty feeling that accompanied Kate's lack of surprise. She would have known he'd say no. Certainly not out of malicious intent but because of other reasons, knowing George he had plenty of them.

"Did he say why?" Kate mused, trying to feign her interest. Really at this point she was just relieved that she'd been correct.

"He said it wouldn't be fair because he fancies someone else." Tears now trickled down her cheeks. Almost immediately the horror returned, warring with guilt. Her entire body felt rigid and cold. Of all the gentle excuses George could have given her, that was maybe the worst possible one. The cold reality of the situation set in. Jennelyn and Kate were best friends, yet while Jenn liked George he only had eyes for Kate. The triangle made her feel suddenly nauseous.

"Oh honey," she managed to say. "Did he say who?" Kate motioned for Jenn to sit down. The raven-haired girl sat down and shook her head. Thank God, Kate thought.

"He just said that he really appreciated me as a friend but didn't want to ruin his chances with whoever she is." Kate's brows flew up. She was aware that he liked her but she was unaware that he was so serious about it. "And now I just feel so stupid."

Kate reached over and patted her shoulder. "Don't feel stupid. We couldn't have known."

"I hate being rejected. God I can't believe I did that." Jennelyn further moped.

The words Kate wanted to give her to comfort her friend weren't coming to her. There was nothing she could say to make her feel better. Instead they sat in complete silence while she cried. "There will be other boys," said Kate softly.

Angrily, Jennelyn wiped her cheeks off. "Well you can bet that if I find out who the girl is she'll never receive my forgiveness." At her words, Kate couldn't shake the waves of ice that cascaded in her stomach.

* * * * *

That night Kate was in the common room with Alicia and Angelina. A potions book was propped open against her legs as she sat on the couch reading. Her conversation with Jennelyn was still on her mind and she couldn't shake the feeling that the situation was going to get a lot worse before it got any better. Kate really didn't want to lose her best friend, but if Jenn found out that George's mystery girl was Kate? Well, the consequences were disastrous.

Alicia and Angelina were squabbling about a presentation they were going to give for Charms club. Ultimately Kate needed to talk to Cara but it was after hours and she didn't want to get caught sneaking up to Ravenclaw's common room. So she was stuck ruminating the situation alone. It wasn't helping her make sense of the whole mess.

Suddenly the portrait hole swung open and Kate watched the twins walk in with Lee, and Ron. The twin's little brother had taken to sitting with them at almost all of their meals and tagging along in the halls. It was quite rare these days to get one of the twins alone. Kate didn't normally have much of a problem with Ron, when he wasn't in such a foul mood he was normally quite funny. However was beginning to wear, having him hang around all the time.

Just as she said this Fred picked up her feet, and sat down where they had been before bringing them back to rest across her lap. "Evening Miss Kelley," he said with a cheeky grin.

"Hi Fred, what kind of trouble tonight?" She asked as Alicia and Angelina looked up from their mess on the floor.

"Nothing major, used a temporary sticking charm on Filch's cat. She's hanging from the ceiling in the East Wing of the second floor." All of the girls laughed. Kate looked around and noticed George was gone. "He's gone up to his room if you want to go talk to him." Fred muttered in her ear.

Nodding, she gathered her book and left the group missing their speculative glances as she went. Finally she was standing in front of his door. Raising a hand she knocked on it. "It's open," his voice came from the other side.

Upon stepping into the room she found him laid across his bed, arms stretched behind his head. "Hey there stranger," she said and he sat up immediately upon hearing her voice. "Heard you had kind of a rough day."

George shifted and moved over on his bed so they could sit on it together. "You could say that. I take it Jennelyn has talked to you?"

Nodding, Kate bit her lip and looked down at the comforter. "She was really upset."

"Yeah, looked like she was going to cry. I hate making girls cry, it's worse than a bludger to the stomach." George muttered, and he did in fact down miserable. "I've known for a while that she liked me, but I thought I'd made it fairly clear I didn't return the gesture. You know when she tried to flirt with me and drop hints. I guess it didn't quite sink though."

Reaching out she patted his forearm. "It's alright. She's a strong girl; she'll get over it in time. I was surprised though that she asked you, I didn't think she'd actually go through with it." George raked his fingers through his hair.

"Neither did I to be honest. Guess I thought if she was going to that she'd have you do it."

To his apparent surprise, Kate laughed. "Well that was her original intention. But I told her that you weren't the time to take third year measures, if she wanted to go with you bad enough she should ask you herself." George leaned his back against one of his bedposts.

"You know me too well," he said with a chuckle. Kate felt her heart break out into a spring. From where he was sitting she could see his shoulders pull slightly at the worn long sleeved shirt he wore with a pair of jeans. There was a hole in one of the knees, and he had a lazy smile on his face. It was a sudden instantaneous thing. Kate had never felt so attracted to anyone as she did in that one moment, to hell with Stephen Delancourt.

"So you like another girl then?" She hedged.

Although his expressions were smooth, a perfect poker face, George couldn't fight his natural flush. "Ah she told you that did she?"

Nodding, Kate shrugged. "We're best friends, we tell each other a lot."

"Well I don't suppose there's a point in denying it. Yes I do happen to like someone else."

Looking down at his comforter she nodded. "I won't pry, I was just curious."

Up until that moment, his eyes were closed. "I have something for you. Consider it an early birthday present." Kate was positive that he was changing the subject to get away from the current topic. That was until he got up and went around to his desk. The view was blocked by a partially shut curtain. When he came around holding the golden stem her jaw dropped.

It was the most perfect rose she'd ever seen. The petals were a perfect snow white. Sheared of its thorns, the stem and leaves were shining gold. "George," she whispered softly and got to her feet to come around to him.

"I didn't want you to think we all forgot your birthday either. You wouldn't believe how tough it was to come across one of these." Carefully she took the never wilting rose and inhaled the sweet fragrance. The magically enhanced flowers were rare, but among the most beautiful objects in the wizarding world.

"I can't take this," she breathed.

His warm hands closed over hers. "Yes you can. Happy Birthday Kate."

A balloon popped in her stomach, butterflies exploded as she stared up into his hazel eyes. In that moment there was no Stephen. Jennelyn was a distant figure and Kate had no idea why any of them would matter anyway. Her heart swelled in strong affection for George. It was as if she'd never truly understood his character or their relationship before. But suddenly there was just so much potential.

Which was what drove her to lean up on her tiptoes, place a hand on the back of his neck and pull his mouth to meet hers. There was no hesitation. It was as if George had been ready for this moment for ages. His hands found her narrow waist and held her firmly. Their lips brushed past each other's. It was a sweet kiss, short and soft. In her chest, Kate's heart was racing closer and closer to what she knew was true. George's affection was not altogether one-sided.

**Surprise! So I totally planned the first kiss for next chapter, but when I decided to have George give her the rose in private the moment was too perfect to pass up. **

**Don't worry though, there's a mountain of drama to go. In case anyone was curious, this story is part of a planned series, so the end is not near in sight. I don't want to focus just on George and Kate getting together but maintaining their relationship over time. That being said I still haven't decided how I'm going to work with the material in Deathly Hallows as well as JKR's George/Angelina marriage. I would love to hear ideas though!**

**Anyway please, please review. It only takes a minute! Much love-Brose**


	11. Love and the Intrusion

**A/N: It's finally here! I am SO sorry that this chapter took forever. Not only did I have a hard time writing but my life has also been crazy. Almost all of December was devoted to applying to graduate school and then the Midwest weather decided to ruin the last half of the month. Anyway time to write has been thin on the ground since the last update. **

**This chapter features personal conflict and George finally growing a backbone! From here on out he's going to be more George and less…angsty.**

**Disclaimer: you know if it's mine and if it's not.**

Love and the Intrusion

Kate sat in front of her vanity combing through her pin straight hair. A bright colored scarf was wound into the thick sheet and her eyes were out of focus as she stared straight ahead. Behind her the curtains on her bed were pulled back to reveal her unmade bed and on her desk sat a small stack of opened birthday cards. She had meant to take care of so much last night after getting in from dinner. Instead Kate had fallen into bed too shocked to speak and then gotten up Sunday morning and dumped herself straight into the shower.

Not that her shower had gone so well. Kate was so lost in her own thoughts that she'd brushed her teeth twice and forgot to use shampoo before her conditioner. Currently her socks didn't match and she couldn't even catch the clasp on her necklace. None of this really compared in light of the weekend she'd had. How could Kate even remotely care about socks and shampoo-conditioner order when her world was literally turned upside down in less than forty-eight hours?

George refused Jennelyn who swore no forgiveness for his 'mystery' girl who turned out to be Kate who kissed him Thursday night. Not to mention she was dating Stephen who had spent an entire Saturday winning her over with the biggest surprise she'd ever received. The mass collision of thought trains was enough to give Kate a headache. Until she turned around on the vanity stool and looked at the never wilting rose, sitting upright in a crystal vase. Each petal was so perfect the rose seemed to glow. Staring at that rose only sent her out of her spiral of interlocked confusion and into a haze of indecision.

What on earth had possessed her to kiss George Thursday night? Granted it could barely be called a kiss. Their lips literally met and less than a second later they pulled away. As Kate thanked him for the rose she was blushing so furiously that her face hurt. Then she tried to hide away in her dorm only to be accosted by Alicia and Angelina not ten minutes later. Lying to her friends wasn't exactly something she was proud of, but she couldn't just come out and say it. What if Stephen found out? What was even worse, what if Jennelyn found out?

Stephen had pulled out all the stops to help celebrate her birthday, but he'd also sat at the end of the Gryffindor table with her for dinner rather than bringing her to Ravenclaw as he usually did. This foray into unknown territory was almost as impressive to Kate as the elaborate private parlor he'd reserved at the bistro opposite Madam Puddifoot's. In fact her date had been perfect up until she saw George watching her from the window at Zonko's, his face pale in light of the way Stephen had his arm around her.

"Kate are you okay?" Alicia walked out of the bathroom wearing jeans and toweling her hair dry. The worried tone in her voice alerted Kate to the fact that she was currently staring straight at her mirror, a hairbrush dangling limply from her hand.

Twisting her body around Kate bit her lip. Over Alicia's shoulder she could see the pink roses sitting next to the white everlasting bloom. "I'm not sure," she admitted and returned to brushing her hair. Try as she might she was having trouble reconciling three images: Stephen's handsome laughing face as she opened her birthday present, Jennelyn's sullen expression from across the Great Hall during dinner last night and George's warm expression from Thursday night right after she kissed him.

Alicia kneeled next to her and took the brush. Setting it on the vanity she stilled Kate's hands and sighed. "Let's get breakfast in the kitchens, we'll talk it all out okay?"

This instantly made Kate feel better. There was so much that she needed to say and get out of her system and Alicia suddenly felt like the right person to hear it all. Together they gathered their things and went right past the Great Hall and down the staircase to the kitchens. "Tell me everything." Alicia prompted and Kate sighed and nodded.

_The lanes were packed with students as Stephen held Kate's hand. Laughter was tumbling from her lips as he tugged her along with bright eyes. It was a little pathetic she reasoned, that his handsome presence could do this to her, but she couldn't help it. All morning long they'd bent their heads over the latest Rita Skeeter article in the prophet. Stephen admired her prose while Kate gave the woman a sound bashing on her lack of factual evidence, at least she was lying according to a red faced Ron and the twins. _

_ "Come on just a few more shops to go!" Stephen was almost buzzing in excitement as he finally stopped in front of Madam Puddifoots. Kate's jaw dropped and not from excitement either. _

_ "You're kidding right?" She observed the lace tablecloths and display of fluffy pastries set on pink doilies in the window. _

_ Stephen plastered a mock serious expression on his face. "Of course I am!" He broke into a grin and spun her around by the shoulders. Across the street was a small bistro, the Bronze Lamp. Turning to face him she felt her brows arch higher. Stephen was already offering her an arm with gusto that would have done Fred proud. Silently Kate willed herself not to think about the twins, she was on a date with Stephen. _

_ A short witch in dark burgundy robes stood at the front. Upon their entrance she nervously patted her hair and then came forward to assist them. "Name sir?" She directed her gaze and question to Stephen. _

_ Scratching the back of his neck, he chuckled. "Delancourt," he replied and as soon as the hostess turned away rolled his eyes to Kate who stifled a giggle. _

_ "Right this way then," said the hostess after she gathered two menus. She led them past the front tables and the bar in the small space. "I hope the room meets your requests." The hostess then opened French doors that led a small private parlor. Kate's jaw dropped. _

_ "Happy Birthday Kate." Stephen stood behind her with warm hands on her shoulders. The small table was set with a hunter cloth and in her place was a dozen pink roses. "Just a light lunch for two!" He said cheerfully and pulled out her chair. Kate let him take her coat before seating her. A waiter immediately whisked the roses into a vase before she had the chance to smell them. She hadn't even seen the flat package beneath them. _

_ "You did not have to do any of this," she said out of breath from surprise. _

_ Sitting across from her, he adjusted the neck on his charcoal sweater. "You right I didn't, but I wanted to. That makes all the difference," he said with a wink. "Go on, open it!" _

_ Kate felt guilty for marring the shining bronze paper tied up with a pale pink bow. At last she pushed away the fluffy tissue paper and her jaw dropped. "Where did you? How did you?" She barely spluttered her incoherent thoughts as she lifted the frame from the shallow box. Set against a cream colored mat was the very first issue of the _Black Charmer_, Kate' favorite magazine and dream job. What was more was the current editor of the magazine had written a small note sealed in an envelope. _

_ "My dad knows a friend who knows a friend who owed him a favor and I managed to get this. I know how much you love the magazine." Stephen said. _

_ "This is really rare," she whispered and touched the elegant black frame, afraid to smudge the glass. "It's incredible Stephen!" _

"Wow," said Alicia as she pushed away her empty oatmeal bowl. Kate's eyes were fixed on the mangled remains of her orange peel. "He really used those connections."

Nodding her head, Kate dropped her head and sighed. "I know, I can't even imagine what something like that might have cost."

Alicia arched a brow and then leaned forward, propping her head up with her elbows. "Well Stephen's family is pretty well off, but they can't be that wealthy. Did you accept it?" She asked curiously. Kate gave her another nod and went back to toying with her orange peel. Absently she turned a section over and over in her fingers.

"He wouldn't take no for an answer."

"You don't seem very excited over it," said Alicia softly. Lifting her iron gaze back up to her friend, Kate found Alicia's brown eyes searching her. Squirming around in her seat Kate shrugged. "Or about the fact that he braved all of our friends to sit at the Gryffindor table." To this Kate did have to give a weak smile. "I can only imagine how that panned out."

With a slight shrug, Kate tugged on the sleeves of her black shirt. A small unit of house elves was clearing their plates and dishes away while another set were leaving out a fresh jug of pumpkin juice and two iced goblets. Quietly Alicia thanked them. "It wasn't too awful. When we walked in I was about to go to Ravenclaw and he just, steered me towards the empty end of Gryffindor."

Kate knew that wasn't the real reason she was upset. "What happened after dinner? You and Stephen disappeared." Alicia prompted her.

_"I can't believe I managed to eat all of that after we had that huge lunch," said Stephen, jokingly patting his stomach. Rolling her eyes, Kate set her napkin aside and then shifted, uncomfortable in her seat. She didn't know what came next, not after such an excellent first date. "Well, shall we?" Suddenly his handsome gaze was locked in on her again. _

_ Nodding, Kate got to her feet and then giggled when Stephen came around, holding his arm out with a ridiculous flourish. It reminded her so strongly of the twins that she felt a pang of guilt. Somewhere behind her she knew it was possible that George was watching her walk out. Still, she slipped her arm through Stephen's and let him lead her out of the Great Hall. Dinner still wasn't over and they were suddenly given a few moments of complete, blissful silence. _

_ "This has been a great day," she remarked. That was the truth; it had been a really wonderful afternoon. Then again, Kate always had a good time with Stephen. He was easy to talk to, a perfect gentleman in every sense of the word. "Really great," she added as he tilted his head down to look at her. His blonde hair fell across his forehead and just as they turned down another empty corridor she reached up to brush the hair away. _

_ Stephen caught her hand and brought her palm to his lips. "I'm glad you've enjoyed yourself." Then in the middle of the corridor he took hold of one hand and spun her in tight. Gently he cradled her head and then leaned down just as Kate reached up. Their lips met in a sweet kiss, just like all of their kisses. _

_ The delicious quiet blanketed them as he wrapped his arms tighter around her and Kate's fingers dove into his hair. "I remember a conversation we had when I asked you to Hogsmeade. You asked if our date was as boyfriend and girlfriend." Stephen breathed between soft kisses. _

_ "You said it wasn't a boyfriend kind of date," she said and let her fingers slip down his neck to rest on his shoulders. _

_ Stephen's lips were dangerously close to her ear. "What if I lied?" Her brows arched. "What if it was a girlfriend kind of date?" He muttered and kissed the skin just below her earlobe. A shiver coursed her spine and his free hand pressed the small of her back, bringing her closer. _

_ "Then you have mislead me greatly Mr. Delancourt," she said. _

_ He took her face in his hands. "Allow me to correct you. So long as you're open to the idea, I would venture to say that you are my girlfriend and I am your boyfriend," he said and bent to kiss her. Although a natural smile took her face, Kate closed her eyes only to see George's handsome face in her mind. _

Alicia was staring slack-jawed over her pumpkin juice.

* * * * *

Angelina barely suppressed a giggle as Fred's lips whispered over the inside of her wrist. The tip of her quill brushed over the collar of his shirt. Leaning over further he moved up her forearm and stopped in the crease of her elbow. "We're supposed to be studying?" She prompted.

She saw his eyes roll in a neat circle before he lifted his head. A wolfish grin was plastered across his too handsome face. "I think we've studied enough don't you?"

Shaking her head, Angelina held up a hand just in time to stop his lips from capturing hers. "We both have that charms exam tomorrow and I don't want either of us to fail." Groaning, Fred leaned back in his chair and drug his fingers through his hair. The late sun slanted through the windows, picking up his shining red hair. Sometimes Angelina believed she could sit with Fred for an age and just play with his hair and let him distract her from studying forever. She had to admit when they weren't fighting they really did form the perfect couple.

"Ang we both know all of this front to back. Honestly I can't imagine studying this any longer." Casting a glance back at their mess of notes and charmed objects she realized that she had no drive to study any longer. "If you don't want to snog we can always talk." Fred murmured, toying with her hand between his.

A smile found her lips as she looked at the contrast between their skin. It was milk chocolate between sweet cream. She liked the way Fred's large palms pressed over the front and back of her hand, his fingers dipping down to stroke her own. "What do you want to talk about?"

The second he lifted his hazel eyes to look at her Angelina knew what was coming. "Have you thought at all about my request?"

A band of tension wrapped tightly around her chest. Guilt welled up in her throat as she tried to find the words. If she were being honest with herself and Fred, Angelina would have to say she didn't need to give it thought. The answer was on the tip of her tongue even when he had asked her four days ago. Sighing she shook her head. "Fred," she started. "You know why I'm saying no."

His frown made her feel even worse. There were no traces of anger or even frustration. By this point she had surpassed all of that and had moved onto disappointment. Part of her hated the way they carried on in secret, but her more rational side knew better than to agree to be with him publically. "It's just sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table Angelina, I'm not exactly proposing marriage or anything," said Fred gently and a weak smile took his face. "Kate and Delancourt do it all the time and we both know there's nothing serious about that."

Shifting she used her free hand to smooth her skirt. "If we sit at the end of the table people will speculate more than they already do. You already told me that Kate, George and Lee all know. What if everyone else finds out too?" Her voice was strained.

"Then they will be just as excited and supportive. You should have seen how happy Kate was when she found out! I don't think being public is going to be as big of a deal as you seem to think." Fred argued and tightened his grip on her hand.

Angelina tried to pull away. She hated when he did this, trying to talk her out of the decision she already made. Maybe it seemed stupid or wrong but to her it was the only way. Fred didn't understand. "It is a big deal Fred. I'm a quidditch captain and you're one the most popular boys in school. People talk."

Frowning further, Fred shook his head. "I don't think that's it. You do want to be with me don't you?"

Angelina froze. Her insides felt terribly cold. "Of course I do. If I didn't like you so much then I wouldn't be here and I'd be dating other people. Fred maybe one day we can be a public couple but for right now I prefer to keep things quiet and between us."

"We haven't even had a chance to go on a real date. That's what I wanted to do when we were at the village." Fred complained and the guilt started to slosh around again. Looking away she sighed and decided it was time to change the subject.

"What do you reckon the first task is going to be?" She asked, turning her head away from him. Staring off toward the high windows, Angelina felt a faint frown touch her lips as his fingers slipped through her braids and then were gone.

Fred's chuckle was a combination of bitter disappointment and amusement at her pathetic attempt. "Dunno, Lee reckons it's going to be really dangerous. Harry and Hermione have been pouring over all sorts of books and mess and practicing a few charms but I don't know what for."

Arching a brow, Angelina sighed. "Poor Harry, even though I put my name in I don't fancy a go with whatever is coming now."

Shrugging, Fred pulled his book toward him and began to skim a few more paragraphs. Leaning back in her chair Angelina fought back her sigh. Clearly Fred had no interest in talking about the tournament, much less anything that didn't revolve around their relationship. This situation was going to be more difficult that she'd ever imagined.

* * * * *

Thick shafts of moonlight spilled through the gaps in the curtains of Kate's dorm. From where she lay she could see the waxing moon struggle through the cloud cover. No matter how she laid it seemed impossible to get comfortable and sleep wouldn't come to her. It wasn't necessarily unusual for her to not sleep; Kate went through phases where sleep came easy and then not at all. Evidently she was going to have one of those nights.

Rolling over to face her desk, Kate saw the never wilting rose standing tall in its vase. Her heart clenched tightly. This evening she'd seen the crushed expression on George's face when she sat with Stephen at dinner. Tonight her new boyfriend had taken things a step further and they sat on the same side of the table. Although he hadn't gone so far as to feed her in public, Stephen's arm over her shoulder clearly stated the truth. The school's romance columnist would no longer be writing from personal single experience.

Scowling at the thought of the situation, Kate realized that she wasn't going to get any sleep any time soon. Rather than potentially wake her roommates with her quill scratching she threw the covers off her bed and gathered her notebook and quill. If she was going to be awake all night she might as well finish some editing work on her column. Clad in running shorts and a sweatshirt she trudged down to the common room.

It should not have come as a huge surprise to see a figure hunched over on the sofa nearest the fire. Despite the late hour the hearth was brightly glowing and the warmth coming from it was quite pleasant. As Kate drew closer she felt her stomach sink. The tall red headed figure could only be one of two people and Kate didn't want to take the fifty-fifty chance of finding out whom. Biting her lip she closed her eyes and made to turn back for her dorm. Suffering insomnia would be far better than getting baited into an argument or sad conversation with George. Just as she turned her quill slipped from her grasp and thudded lightly against the flagstone floor.

The Weasley twin whipped around and she froze, her eyes wide. Judging from the rapid chance from slack jawed to hurt; Kate had interrupted the wrong Weasley. "Lo Kate," said George.

Now she was trapped. She couldn't very well just traipse back up the stairs and pretend nothing was wrong. "I'm sorry George I didn't know anyone was down here."

Shrugging he managed a shadow of a grin and gestured to the sofa. "It's alright. Lee was snoring loud enough to wake the dead so I thought I'd come down for a little peace." Feeling rather stupid and quite mute Kate nodded and advanced for the well-worn red sofa. She sat down on one end and set her things on the side table. The heat from the fire felt wonderful against her bare legs. "Couldn't sleep?" He asked softly.

Kate felt miserable. At one time he would have his arm loosely over her shoulder and they would already be laughing about some joke. She hated this awful tension between them. "No," she murmured softly. "Too much on my mind I guess," she added.

Next to her George sank further into the sofa and he shrugged. "Seems to be going around. Fred's been grouchy all night and Angelina's not said a word to either of us. Got a fair amount on my own mind too." The edge in his voice was not to be missed and Kate felt her stomach twist even more uncomfortably. "So is it really true?" He asked softly after a pause.

"Is what true?" She asked.

"Is Delancourt really your boyfriend?" Kate frowned at his sullen tone.

Sighing she nodded and ran her fingers through her hair. "Yeah he is."

George chuckled humorlessly, causing Kate to wince. "Guess that makes me feel pretty stupid," he muttered. Tearing her gaze from the fire Kate turned her grey eyes to him.

"Why would you say that?" She questioned incredulously.

Raking his hands over her face he then struggled to his feet and walked a few paced away. Swinging his arms about for a moment he rocked back on the balls of his feet in a nervous fashion. "I dunno, I thought I was winning a good fight with the rose and you kissing me in the dorm. From what I hear I never had a chance," he said and Kate's jaw dropped.

Getting to her feet she moved further away from him, toward the fireplace. "It would have helped if you were more open about your feelings George. I only just figured it out. Stephen's been open about that for ages," she muttered and he threw his hands up in defeat.

"Well forgive me for not trumpeting it to the entire school. I figured you'd appreciate a quieter approach what with your best friend fancying me and Mr. Wonderful dragging you to the end of the table every meal he can. But if you want the truth here it is," he paused and then sighed. "I'm head over sodding heels in love with you Kate. You're all I think about and I want to beat the tar out of Delancourt simply for the fact that he gets you."

Kate's jaw dropped. She hadn't quite expected that much of an admission from him. "George," she said softly.

"And you can't lie to me as well as you might lie to yourself. I know you have feelings for me even if that blockhead is standing in the way."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Kate shook her head. Moving slightly away she was now facing him, his body turned straight to hers. The expression on his face rapidly changed from complete confidence to disbelief. "Stephen is not a blockhead," she whispered.

One second Kate was sure she had seen George on the other side of the fireplace. In the blink of an eye he strode across the distance and closed the gap. There was no warning, no time to even gather her bearings. Everything Kate thought she knew about George and their relationship was rapidly dissolving as he pressed his mouth over hers.

As he pressed her back against the stonewall next to the fire she felt inhibition slip away from her as he pressed a warm hand against her cheek, steadying her face. Against all reason and certainly in spite of the numerous roadblocks, Kate let her hands travel over his sides and wrap around his frame. His smile against her mouth as she pulled him against her was enough to get her kissing back, and not chastely either.

Kate had been kissed before, several times by enough boys to know a good snog from a bad one. None of them held a candle to the fireworks George's kiss set off in her brain. His lips pressed against hers with just enough pressure and she felt a shudder run down her spine as his teeth lightly nipped her lower lip. Carefully he angled her head again so he had better access and then he ran his tongue across her lips and she opened her mouth to meet him. It was single-handedly the best kiss she'd ever had.

A sudden squeak startled the pair and they broke apart. Startled, George whirled around and Kate looked around him to see Hermione Granger stared openly at them. Her mouth was slightly open and in her hands she had a small stack of kitted hats. "Oh I'm so sorry!" She managed to stutter out and Kate was sure, even in the dim firelight that the poor girl was blushing.

George seemed absolutely terrified. "Hermione," he said warningly and carefully. "Please don't tell anyone what you saw."

Terror filled the pit of Kate's stomach; if Jennelyn or Stephen found out she'd be up to her eyeballs in problems. "Of, of course," said Hermione and scurried forward, depositing the hats on the nearest table and then started towards the staircase.

A hand closed around Kate's wrist as she made to follow the girl. George whirled her around and trapped her against his chest. "You shouldn't have done that," said Kate and she lowered her eyes to the worn material of his waffled shirt.

His lips buried her in her hair. "You shouldn't have kissed back then," he said and shook his head before tilting her chin up. "I should probably tell you that I'm refusing to give up just because Delancourt stands in my way."

Shaking her head she looked away. "It's not just Stephen I'm worried about."

"Jennelyn is a big girl, she can handle a let down just fine." Kate wanted to laugh; his statement was so far off base it was ludicrous. There was nothing about the situation that Jennelyn would take well.

"It's not fair to any of them. Please don't do it again," she said and pulled away. Silently she brushed her hair from her eyes and left him standing in the middle of the common room. As she silently got back into bed she hoped that Hermione wouldn't say anything. Yet when she lay down all she could feel was the tingling in her lips from his kiss.

**Yay for George finally stepping up to the plate! There will be lots more snogging in the near future. So next chapter has my little devotion to Hermione/twins fics. There are so many wonderful ones out there that I thought I would give them a little interaction! More drama to come! Remember…reviews are love, especially to those who plan to alert…an extra minute to write a review never hurt. Much love-Brose.**


	12. Love and the Golden Opportunity

**A/N: Greetings! I bring you a monster chapter! This chapter contains my little tribute to George/Hermione fics; I had a lot of fun writing their interaction. Also we delve a little deeper into Stephen's character as well as his motives and learn something about Kate's family life, it's not as shiny as you might believe. **

**I will say I'm not entirely pleased with the end scene but I didn't know how else to write it so it would fit with my plans. That being said, this chapter sets up quite a bit for the future of the fic. Also this chapter depicts teenagers being teenagers so take care if you have issues with the subject of underage drinking, which clearly…I don't. **

**As always thanks for the lovely reviews, alerts and favorites! You know how to make a writer feel loved ^_^**

**Disclaimer: There are a lot of things I own…HP is not one of them.**

Chapter 11: Love and the Golden Opportunity

George hurried through the hall towards the library. Absently he hitched his bag higher on his shoulder and turned a sharp right to the staircase that led to the fourth floor. As soon as he hit the landing the arched doorway to the academic Mecca of all things magic was before him. A shudder coursed his spine as he walked in. Several of his year mates and acquaintances looked up as he passed by, shock written on their faces. Each of them was probably asking themselves the same thing George was asking. What was a Weasley twin doing in the library during broad daylight?

Raking his fingers through his hair he started towards the stacks, peering down each long row of books. Students of all types were milling through, running studious fingers over spines and pulling out the mammoth volumes. Some poor first year was staggering under the weight of three massive books from the potions section and he wasn't even remotely surprised to see a quite amorous Slytherin couple spring apart as he passed by.

Where the hell was she? It was just after classes let, she was bound to be here. After all his target practically lived here. Grumbling under his breath he made for the large aisle that separated the two major sections of the shelves. Several tables lined the wide walkway and students were pouring over notes and hastily writing essays. Feeling more and more ridiculous by the passing second George was entertaining the thought of cornering her later when finally he saw the tell tale sign.

A mane of bushy hair had just slipped behind a row and he sped up to follow. Sure enough at the end of the last row of History volumes was a square table. Tucked in a far away corner, the surface was almost completely covered with open books and stacks of neatly written notes. Hermione was bent over her work, peering at her writing so closely her nose was almost brushing the parchment. All of her hair has been clumsily pulled back into a ponytail and her sleeves were rolled up over her forearms.

George ignored the fact that he was interrupting her and pulled a spare chair out, twisting it around and sitting down. Resting his elbows on the back of the chair he waited for her to acknowledge his presence. Her dark brown eyes flicked up in recognition and she hastily finished her sentence before setting her quill aside with a sigh. "What's the subject?" He asked, pretending to lean over and catch a glimpse at her tiny writing.

Snatching the essay away from him, Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "It's for Arithmancy, what are you doing here?" She asked and waited form him to announce his intentions. With a wry grin George realized she probably had no idea which twin he was. In his entire memory of Hermione Granger he was fairly certain they'd never been alone, he was always with Fred.

"Can't I come to say hi?" He asked, tilting his head to the side feigning innocence. Unfortunately she knew him too well to buy it.

Sighing she shook her head and started to shuffle her notes. "Will you at least tell me which one you are?" Another brilliant thing about Hermione was her preference for bluntness. Chuckling he picked up her quill and began to doodle in the margins of a book.

"It's George," he said and then watched a brilliant magenta blush spread through her cheeks. Reaching out she snatched the quill away and then averted her gaze.

"Oh," she said lamely. The grin on his face widened, she was actually caught off guard, and he couldn't believe it. "I presume you've come here for a reason?" She recovered and started to toy with the frizzy end of her ponytail.

Reaching up, George loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt. "Actually I do Granger," he said and then rest his chin in his hands, staring at her a long moment. "We both know that you walked in on a rather private moment the other night," he said and she swallowed before nodding her head.

"You shouldn't have been kissing each other George. Doesn't Kate have a boyfriend?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes despite the furious blush on her cheeks. Something gave George a sneaking suspicion that was the first time the poor girl had seen any kind of serious snogging up close.

Waving her off he pushed the awful name of Stephen Delancourt out of his head. "Whether she's dating someone or not is completely unimportant to the situation," he said. "What is important is that you don't breathe a word of what you saw to anyone and that includes Potter and especially my little brother."

Hermione lifted an eyebrow and then took her turn to lean back, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why?" She asked and George swore he could hear the gears turning in her head.

Apparently it was now his turn to feel uncomfortable. "Because Potter doesn't need to hear about my love life and if Ron finds out he'll tell everyone he knows including Fred, Ginny and probably my mother."

"That's not the real reason is it?" She had him cornered.

Groaning he covered his face with his hand and then shook his head. "It's part of the reason. Let's just say that there are certain people who would not take well to the news if it got out," he said and automatically thought about Jennelyn Ward. He was actually afraid that the girl might breathe fire at Kate if she found out.

Hermione was silent for a long moment before she sighed. "I still don't think what you did was right but I won't tell anyone." The way her voice dropped off suggested she wasn't finished. "But I'm not going to do it for free," she added and he fought the impulse to curse.

"Name your price," he said.

"A contribution to S.P.E.W."

Rolling his eyes he was about to make a sharp remark about her devotion to elves when suddenly Harry Potter came around the corner lugging his bag and a very dark look. "I'm not going to wear a damn button, but consider it done," he said before Potter got into earshot. Hermione's serious face split into a rather pretty smile and he inclined is head to her before gathering his things and left the library as fast as he could without running.

* * * * *

Although she knew it wasn't true, Kate still felt as if her cheeks were still burning even two days later. Every time she closed her eyes or stopping thinking about school and the paper all she could think about was that kiss. George had literally seared the memory into the back of her mind. Kate liked to think that she was well educated on kissing, as the romance columnist she had certainly done her research.

One single kiss from him had completely obliterated everything she knew. Kate had no idea it was possible to feel such a pleasant tension. The band wrapped around her stomach and rolled with every move of his mouth against hers. Unlike when Stephen kissed her, Kate felt George's mouth move in synchrony with hers, unafraid of putting a little more pressure into the action. His teeth had neatly grazed over her bottom lip, sending a shudder all the way down her spine and then back up as his hand found her lower back, pressing her body against his.

Every time she let the image bloom in her head she felt her fingers span the sides of his face before diving into his hair, knotting her fingers in the auburn strands. All so she could pull his face closer and angle him downward. This gave her better access as his tongue traced over her lips before slipping into her mouth. The tension band constricted rather pleasantly in her stomach.

Even three days later all Kate really wanted to do was find an empty broom closet and shove George against she shut door. She wanted him to bring her that close again and kiss her just as deeply. More than that she wanted his mouth to leave hers and trail across her jaw, down the long line of her neck. How exquisite would it be to feel his fingers slide up her uniform shirt and skim the bare skin of her sides? For her slip one leg between his in an attempt to get a little closer.

"Merlin's beard it was just a kiss!" She cried, bringing her mind back to the present. Groaning she shook her head and returned her attention back to her Charms homework.

For the moment she was alone in her dormitory. The other girls were gone for a Transfiguration club meeting, the one activity her three roommates had in common. Relief had permeated the air as soon as they were gone, for just a little while Kate could relax. She didn't have to worry about betraying her conflicted emotions.

Because really almost as soon as the image of snogging George left her mind, panic took over. What on earth had she been thinking? Right now she was supposed to be dating Stephen Delancourt and one of her closest friends was practically in love with George. The mere thought of Jennelyn's reaction to this event created a very unpleasant chill in the pit of Kate's stomach. Natural chemistry with George or not, this was wrong. Deceiving her boyfriend and hurting her friend was bad, really bad.

But it had been so good, earth stopping, forget her name good. Kisses like that just didn't drop out of nowhere. Alicia was right, chemistry like that couldn't be created as if it were a simple potion. "Stupid boys and their stupid kisses." Kate grumbled and rolled back onto her floor.

There was a knock at her door. "It's open!" She hollered.

Immediately she wished that she had not said that. The caramel brown leather of George's watch alerted her to his identity. "Hullo Kate," he said demurely. Her eyebrows immediately shot up. Reserved manner and George Weasley were not synonymous with each other.

"Hi George." But then again her voice was about an octave higher than it normally was. "How did you get up here?" When she gestured for him to move further into the room she noted her hand was shaking. Quickly she snapped it back into her chest and then tried to toy absently with her charms notes. Again, she was failing miserably.

His hair fell adorably across his forehead and her fingers itched to push it back. Already he had a lazy grin on his face and he started toward her. "Simple self-levitation charm," he said and she nodded.

"Gotcha." Kate had never felt so idiotic in her life.

Shuffling his feet he was soon in front of her and he folded his knees beneath his body. Once on the floor they were at almost eye level. "I had a question about Herbology. Do you think we could review the notes tonight? The stuff we're studying now could come in really handy with some of the products we've been testing, I definitely can't afford to fail this."

Running her fingers through her hair Kate nodded. "Sure, we can meet in one of the study rooms on the fifth floor. Should be out of the way enough from the general public." Despite her hesitancy she managed to smile.

Nodding he bounced a little on his feet and gave her a slightly lopsided grin. Her heart broke into a sprint and that pesky tension returned. Kate really wished that she didn't like what it did to her body and mind so much. It was very distracting. "You're the best. Promise I'm not keeping you from anything?" He asked and she shook her head.

"No, you're looking at my plans for the evening." With a gesture towards her homework she added a grimace. "I could certainly use the diversion."

It had been the wrong thing for her to say. Maybe George didn't catch it but as soon as she said diversion her mind immediately flew to much better diversions. Things that involved his hands under her pleated skirt and his tie hanging from a candelabra. "Yeah me too, anything to keep Fred from bugging me about business anymore today. I swear he's being driven to mania," he exhaled a deep sigh and then dropped all the way to the floor, leaning against the footboard of her bed next to her.

In a completely natural and absent movement he threaded his fingers through his hair and Kate bit her lip. How was he not imagining snogging right here on her dormitory floor? Maybe he was and was just better at hiding it. Because really, the urge was maddening, almost impossible to avoid. "That bad?" She asked, shaking her head clear.

When she turned her head to look at him Kate realized George was close, closer than he had been a second ago. "So are you going to the first task tomorrow?" He asked, reaching out. With very gentle fingers he brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. A shiver slipped down her spine and her eyes locked onto his hazel orbs. Her previous question was automatically answered. Yes, he was thinking exactly about snogging on the dormitory floor.

"Of course I am," she stuttered and then scrambled to recover herself. "Yeah, Ian and I are going early to get interviews and take notes during the task. For the paper you know," she said. Kate took a deep breath and instantly regretted it, George smelled incredible. It was impossible to place the scent but Kate inhaled and caught subtle cologne, soap and something warm. "You?"

Chuckling he have her a half shrug and his fingers traced down the side of her face. "Of course I will be," he said and she swallowed again as they locked eyes, he was saying a lot with just his gaze. The band wrapping around her stomach contracted tight and she couldn't stop the images of pinning him to the floor from her mind. "Then of course there will be the after party."

The space between them was almost nonexistent. "What about it?" She asked.

"Gryffindors only, closed off, no meddling boyfriends," he said and his lips brushed past her ear. Closing her eyes Kate tried to stop the dizzying spin dive her mind had taken. Then suddenly he was gone, rocking back on his heels then standing. Grinning widely he started for the door. "So I'll see you on the fifth floor after dinner? Give Delancourt my best," he said with a chuckle and then was gone.

Groaning, Kate fell back and covered her face with her hands. "I'm going straight to hell," she muttered.

* * * * *

Ian was waiting for Kate near the entrance to the stands. He had a notebook and a muggle pen in his hands. Kate grinned, he looked so good it was unreal and he was also seemingly oblivious to the appreciative stares he garnered. "Ready for this?" He asked as they fell into step together.

"Yeah I'm excited to see what they have in store for the champions," she said and pulled the knot on her scarf tighter. "What's your angle going to be?" She asked Ian as they began to climb the steps toward the press section.

"Depends on who wins. If it's Potter or Diggory then I'm going for a big cover with the triumphant champion and talk all about the awesome victory and all that bit," he said fixing the yellow and black rosette he wore alongside the red and gold one. Smirking, she reached out and tweaked them with her finger. "I'm the editor of the paper, I can't just openly take a side."

"What will you do if it's one of the other two?" She asked.

Ian flipped his pad open and chuckled. "I'm confident that I'm not going to have to worry about that," he said and they filed into their seats, a front row view of the rocky pit designed for the champions. From their prime spot Kate could see out into the entire arena. On Ian's other side Marla Mauldin appeared with her ever-present camera around her neck. The seventh year Hufflepuff wore her house colors around her neck and smiled in greeting.

"Ian how did you manage to get three seats in the press section?" Marla asked, looking wide-eyed at the other reporters filling in around them.

Shrugging he ran his fingers through his dark hair. "Went and asked Dumbledore, he seemed to think it would be a good opportunity for us," he said and Kate shot him a smile while she took her notepad out of her bag.

"So you're interviewing the champions after the task right?" She checked the small schedule she'd quickly scribbled in on the top of her notes.

"Yes and Marla is coming to take pictures. I want you at the victory party armed with a quill to take notes. Also you should get follow up impressions on the champions to compare to the data you've already gathered." Ian directed as a pair of fashionably dressed wizards sat down on Kate's other side.

At first Kate thought nothing of them and began to take fast notes for her next column. She was just writing the names of the champions when a shadow fell over her shoulder. "Love and the Empty Broom Closet? Catchy title, you write a romance column?" The American accent startled Kate and she looked up to see handsome man in his late twenties smiling at her. Between his clear hazel eyes and white smile Kate was immediately flustered.

"Yeah, I mean yes I do, for the Hogwarts Herald," she recovered as best she could. The man's smile widened and he pulled a black leather glove off his hand.

"Good paper, I've seen a lot of great talent come from it. I'm Fineas Devlin," he said and Kate's jaw dropped as he held out a hand to shake. She was sitting next to the premier feature writer for the _Black Charmer._

Trying to hold her composure together, Kate shook his hand firmly. "I'm Kate Kelley, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Devlin," she said.

He laughed and ran his uncovered hand over his dirty blonde hair, which he had pulled, into a low ponytail. "Everyone calls me Finn, calling me Mr. Devlin makes me feel really old. How long have you been on the paper staff?"

Kate's heart was racing. Fineas Devlin, Finn, was asking her questions? It almost seemed too good to be true. "This is my third year. I did copy editing the first and then had the romance column this year and last," she explained and felt an elbow in her opposite side. Turning her head she found Ian grinning at her. "Right, of course, this is the Chief Editor of the Herald, Ian Haynes."

Ian leaned across her. "Fineas Devlin," said Finn and shook firm hands with Ian. "So Ian is your girl Kate here any good?" There was a teasing note in his voice, which made Kate's cheeks run hot.

Squeezing her shoulder Ian smiled at her. "Kate's one of the best, also the most reliable senior staff member I've got," he said and Kate privately glowed at the praise. At that moment she'd never been more thankful for Ian. "What brings you out to Hogwarts?"

"Are you kidding?" Finn said with a light laugh. "Not only is Hogwarts hosting the Tri Wizard Tournament but the Boy Who Lived is an unexpected entry? Every wizarding magazine and paper printed in Britain is covering this. My editor had me come over from New York City to cover the events for the UK and US editions," he explained.

Finn nodded and looked between both of them. "You two seem like you make a good team." An earsplitting roar diverted whatever Finn was going to say next and Kate looked on slack-jawed as a huge crate containing a massive blue gray dragon. She swallowed hard and shrank back into her seat, dragons terrified Kate.

"Oh holy shit," she said under her breath and clutched Ian's left arm tightly. "What, why are they letting it out?" She hissed.

On her other side Finn leaned forward and clutched the railing in front of him. At the same time Marla went wild with her camera. "Check out those eggs, they're huge!" Ian said over the roars of the crowd and the dragon. Handlers were all around with wands shooting spells to restrain the chained creature while another hauled a shining gold egg to the nest.

"You don't think they're actually going to make them get the egg do you?" Kate breathed, feeling her heart race in her chest. Immediately she was thankful that Angelina wasn't chosen and that the twins failed to get their names into the goblet.

Finn shot her a wicked grin. "I think that's exactly what they're going to have to do." Then Cedric Diggory walked out under the booming voice of the announcer. Kate's stomach dropped to the bottom of her shoes as he whipped his wand out, looking about two feet tall in comparison to the dragon.

After watching the four champions battle their respective dragons, Kate was sure she could skip the next two tasks and be just fine. Having to see four dragons breath fire, attempt to eat humans and dogs alike and trample over eggs she'd had her fill of adventure. Getting to her feet she stretched up and Finn turned to her. "Have you considered applying for a summer internship?" He asked her.

Frozen in her spot, Kate stared up into his curious face with unrestrained awe. An internship, her? The thought had certainly crossed her mind but she'd never seemed to find five minutes to even research one. "Not seriously."

Digging into his pocket, he produced a black business card. Metallic green writing scrawled his name across and when she looked again the writing faded to present all of his contact information. "I'm looking for summer interns to help with the features sections. If you're interested send me a few columns to check out and we'll talk after that."

Her iron eyes flitted from the card and back to Finn. "That would be," she paused as the excitement rushed her system. 'That would be incredible, thanks Finn!" She said and found her face stretching into a wide smile.

Finn shook her hand one more time. "I'm looking forward to reading your work," he said and nodded to his photographer. Stunned to silence Kate stood still watching them leave. A warm hand slipped over the small of her back.

"Hey there," said Stephen coming around to face her. "Who was that?" He asked.

Coming back to reality she accepted his quick kiss. "Fineas Devlin, he's a feature writer for the _Black Charmer,_" she said and smiled up at her boyfriend. "He wants to see some of my writing." It was now Stephen's turn to smile and he took her hand.

"That's excellent!" He said brightly. "How should we celebrate? We could get dessert from the kitchens and sneak to the pitch," he suggested as they started for the castle. Kate bit her lip.

"I can't tonight, there'll be a victory party in Gryffindor and I have to be there." They passed the stands, milling along the outer edge of the retreating crowd. Kate noticed Fred and George were hurrying after one of the judges. He was a slightly heavyset man with thinning hair. Arching a brow she halted and watched for a moment. "What are they doing?" She asked more to herself than Stephen.

Shrugging Stephen tugged on her hand to keep going. "Bugging him for an autograph I suspect," he said somewhat shortly. "Although why from Ludo Bagman I have no idea." But Kate knew those mirrored expressions of frustration and anger. The twins had been directing them towards Ron a lot lately.

"No that's not it, something's wrong," she muttered but they were already moving in the opposite direction. Kate promised that she would ask one of them about it later. She thought about finding George during the after party and asking him alone but then the image of him snogging her against the door of his dormitory blossomed in her head and she felt her face flush. No, cornering George was definitely a bad idea.

"I'm sure it's no big deal Kate." Stephen's voice pulled her out of her inappropriate reverie and she frowned. His tone was sharp. "So will you eat dinner with me tonight since you're going to be busy celebrating?" He was back to his normal self again with the same handsome smile. Feeling strangely disoriented Kate nodded and found herself trapped in confusion. "Good because there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Not even really focusing on the conversation, Kate followed him through the doors. "Talk about what?" She asked, not even aware of his serious and hopeful expression.

"Your father." Kate came to such a fast halt that Stephen pulled too hard on her hand and she tripped, sprawling all over the floor. Looking up at him through wide eyes she sucked in a hard breath.

"My what?"

* * * * *

George surveyed the raucous party going on around him. Across the way he could see several of the second years hiccupping over bottles of butterbeer and the fifth years were happily setting O.W.L pamphlets on fire with their wands. His friends were all around him, toasting Harry's victory and it looked as if Ron had finally reconciled his friendship with the champion. This fact alone made George immensely pleased, it would be a relief to go back to life without his little brother skulking around all the time.

The only dark spot marring his day was Ludo Bagman. Even then he had expected the callous brush off. After all if the man refused to answer an owl it was only logical that he would do everything in his power to ignore the twins in person. Still weaseling his way out of talking to them by engaging Dumbledore in conversation had been a low blow. There was no way the twins could approach Bagman that way without involving the headmaster in what would have been a very unpleasant conversation.

Grimacing he tried to block the event out of his mind. Fred had made him promise that they would worry about the issue tomorrow. Tonight was about celebrating his friend not getting burnt to a crisp and eaten by a dragon. George was not too fond of the creatures himself and secretly thought that he wouldn't have wanted to face one, even for a thousand galleons.

"Oi George would you stop thinking so much? It's going to ruin our reputation!" Fred shouted in his ear over the loud music. Starting, George shook off his serious demeanor and grinned up at his brother, holding his glass of Firewhiskey aloft. They clinked the highball glasses together and George took a deep drink. Already a pleasant buzz was beginning to cloud his mind.

The Firewhiskey was also probably clouding his judgment he reckoned as he watched Kate cross the room, headed towards Alicia and Angelina. A glass of dark liquor was in her hand and George frowned at that. He knew Kate well enough that she stuck to wine and clear liquors, he never saw her with anything amber colored. "Oi Fred!" He yelled at his twin who was sitting next to him on the ledge of a table.

"George!" Fred hollered back, already far more intoxicated than he was. For a moment Fred swayed dangerously on the table, bumping shoulder against his brother's.

"I'm going to talk to the girls!" He said and slid off the table to his feet.

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder and Fred slumped to the floor and had it not been for that support he would have tumbled to the ground in a heap. Spinning his body around George went to hold up his twin and Fred merely laughed. "I shall come with you!" He proclaimed haltingly and George had only guess as to why. Angelina did look quite pretty in her jeans and red shirt.

George had been counting on this interruption so he could get Kate away to talk to her. Ever since she'd come up from dinner she had worn a rather dark expression on her pretty face. Crossing the common room was more work than he had anticipated. First they bumped into Neville Longbottom who was still covered in yellow feathers. Then Harry and Ron were trying to get them to join in on their fun. George was just about to pass a group of first years when a hand clamped over his elbow. Turning around he was surprised to see Hermione's sharp eyes flitting between him and his destination.

"I know why you're going over there," she hissed so only he could hear. "I think it's a bad idea."

Clearly Hermione Granger had never snogged Kate Kelley before. "I'm going to go talk to my friends," he replied sharply and tried for his most innocent grin.

"George," she said warningly and huffed a sigh. If she kept him here any longer the girls would probably go upstairs to bed and he'd lose his chance.

"I'll double my contribution if you don't say a word," he said betraying his intentions at once. Yet that was easier than arguing with her or biting his nails over whether or not she was going to say anything to anyone. Which really would ruin the entire enjoyment of sneaking around with Kate. Also if he could snog her without fear of the whole world knowing then it was that much better. After spending the whole of the first task avoiding Jennelyn Ward's hopeful eyes George was now aware of just how sticky the situation could get.

Hermione let go of his arm but didn't look even remotely pleased about the situation. "It's your life," she muttered and he threw her a stern glance.

"Granger I say this with kind intentions," he started and then patted her cheek. "Go find a boy and let him snog you senseless. Then you will completely understand why I'm doing this."

He could hear her confused protests as he walked away, letting Fred pull him along the rest of the distance. As soon as they stopped before the girls Kate's eyes snapped up from her drink and locked onto his. They were stormy grey as she surveyed him over the rim of her whiskey. "Lo boys," she said demurely and Alicia looked up with a tipsy smile.

"Good part, great party!" Fred proclaimed throwing his arms out, collapsing against he table between Alicia and Angelina. His arms thumped over girls's shoulder pulling them against his chest.

Just when George was about to make his move a hand closed over his wrist and tugged him away. There were no words for his shock as Kate pulled him away and after a second of checking started up the stairs to this dorm. Once they were in the hallway and out of sight she pushed him against the wall and made to kiss him.

"Not here," he muttered and lacing his fingers through with hers they practically sprinted to his room and slipped through the door. He had her against it the second it shut. One hand pressed the small of her back, pushing her body roughly against his and the other went for his wand in his back pocket. Waving it at the door he heard the lock fall into place and carelessly tossed the stick away.

Kate's fingers threaded through his hair, dragging along his scalp, which sent a shudder racing down his spine. He could feel the press of her breasts against his chest and her mouth was warm against his as she pulled him down into a fervent kiss. George loved kissing Kate Kelley and that was all there was to it. At that moment she tasted of orange and whiskey as her tongue slipped between his lips and he opened his mouth to meet her.

"What is going on?" He asked as they parted for air.

"George," she breathed. "I've had an awful night and I've been drinking whiskey," she said and her fingers wrapped around the collar of his shirt, pulling him back to her.

"Why an awful night?" He had an awful, sneaking suspicion that she was doing this for all the wrong reasons.

Breathing out she pulled away from him and stumbled across to his bed. George frowned; she had clearly been drinking way too much for their current situation. Sitting on the edge of his bed he looked back at her, leaning back on her hands her chest rising heavily and her cheeks flush from the kiss. Already his body was regretting his decision to stop. "Stephen wants to meet my father." George did not expect to hear that.

George only knew a little bit about Kate's father. Theodore Kelley was one of the most sought after healers in London; he specialized in dark curse removal. His job was his true passion and everything else in the world came second to healing. Kate had once told him that the only time he took the time to notice her growing up was when she received her Hogwarts letter. It had been always been his intention that Kate become a healer and fall in line with the family profession. It had come as a sore blow to Mr. Kelley when Kate announced she was going into journalism. To the best of George's knowledge they hadn't spoken in two and a half years. "When did this come out?"

"Tonight," Kate groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Hence the whiskey and me being the worst friend in the world," she muttered.

Reaching over, George pried her hands away from her face and smoothed her hair. "Why does he want to meet your dad?" He asked her, continuing to stroke her hair.

"If you were a Ravenclaw determined to get into the healing program at St. Mungo's wouldn't you do anything in your power to forge a communication with my father? He's the famous Healer Kelley for Merlin's sake!" She said and then closed her eyes, pressing her fingers over her temples.

"Well what did you tell Delancourt?"

Shaking her head she dropped her eyes to her beat up blue jeans. "I told him that my mom was gone and after I told my dad I didn't want to follow the family tradition our relationship fell apart. Stephen didn't understand that by moving in with my older sister Cara and I effectively said our final goodbye." Her voice broke over the words.

Silently George drew her close into his side, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "Well he's an idiot," he muttered.

"I told him that I didn't want to talk to about it anymore and he kept asking more questions," she mumbled into his shoulder, drawing her arms about his waist. "Finally I got so upset that I walked out on him in the Great Hall."

Chuckling, George kissed the side of her head. "That's my girl."

"I'm sorry for making you listen to all that, you're the best George," she her voice was still muffled into his shirt.

"Yes I am aware, although I will ask you do to a favor for me in return." He said.

Nodding she pulled away to look at him. "The next time you want to jump me I'd rather you do it sober and because you want me," he said gently and kissed her forehead. George had meant for the comment to come off light and humorous but as soon as the words were out of his mouth she leapt to her feet and stared at him wide eyed and horrified.

"Merlin's beard!" She cried and backed towards the door. "Why do I suddenly keep kissing you?" The flush in her face was a result of the alcohol and her apparent embarrassment at the situation. Getting to his feet George started towards her but she opened the door and started fumbling out into the hallway.

"Kate you're clearly drunk it's not a big deal."

Poking her head back in she leaned her head against the doorframe and exhaled deeply. "Yes George, when I have a boyfriend who I still like and a best friend who likes you it is a big deal." Then the door snapped shut and George threw a well-aimed kick at Lee's nearby desk chair with a pronounced curse. When in Merlin's name was she going to get over this stupidity?

**Okay, even I'm beginning to tire of Kate's freakouts. They're coming to an end I swear they are! George at the beginning of the chapter does make me happy and he's got a fast rebound rate so don't worry about him. Next chapter features a little bit of teaming up, and a show down in Ravenclaw. Kate gets a little wiser and a big discovery is on the horizon! **

**Remember: reviews are love-Brose**


	13. Love and the Confrontation Sessions

**A/N: Greetings all, here is chapter 12! There's not a ton of action here, it's mostly a setup for the next big GOF event in canon, and I refer of course to the Yule Ball! I'm following the timeline set in the book and the date specific timeline on HP Lexicon, but I know GOF's date specific timeline varies from site to site. This chapter is the first of the next six or so chapters that has been fully outlined and is already in the writing process. **

**As always thank you much to everyone who has reviewed and also to everyone who had added this story to alerts and favorites! This chapter in specific is dedicated to OutsideJokes who was the first of everyone to note that Stephen is an irritating sod. Also for anyone who loves Ian (he's one of my favorites) this chapter is for you!**

**Disclaimer: If you don't know what's mine and what isn't…clearly you have not read the books.**

Chapter 12: Love and the Confrontation Sessions

Kate knew that part of the reason why she'd been sleeping in the News Dungeon was to avoid George. Ever since the night of the first task she'd spend most of her time kicking herself for her idiotic behavior. It was no wonder George and she had been tense and awkward. First she threw herself at him, then practically cried all over him and then rejected him! Every time she tried to go over all the details all she thought about was the fact that she'd been _that_ girl.

Yes, as much as she hated admitting it, she had acted like an immature, flakey, manipulative monster. In short, Kate had somehow transformed into Viola Parkinson. In the process she had succeeded in cheating on her boyfriend, deceiving all of her friends and was slowly destroying one of the best and most important friendships in her life. So, acting like the ridiculous tramp that she had now become, Kate had taken to doing all of her homework in a back corner of the library and spending all her meals with either Stephen or here, in the News Dungeon.

Yet, there was another reason for her total avoidance of Gryffindor tower. Even when Viola had first quit the paper Kate had never been this busy before. Term exams were fast approaching and Professor McGonagall had just given Kate her third 'P' in a row. Now she was battling extra transfiguration practice on top of the mountain of paper stuff Ian had for her. Breaks from schoolwork were only consumed with edits and writing.

"So I've been looking over your column for this Wednesday," said Ian coming around to her desk. Somehow it was already December fifth, the Saturday before her next column release. "What I want to know is have you read your column for this Wednesday?" He asked her.

Kate lifted her eyes from the stack of editorials she was slogging through and shrugged. "Not closely why?" With a flat palm he slapped it down on the desk, she winced. The entire parchment sheet was riddled with red markings.

"If you had maybe you would realize that this writing is maybe the worst I have ever seen," he said and paused leaning over her desk. "From anyone that ever picked up a quill."

Frowning she reached out and took the parchment, inspecting it closer. Frustration bubbled under her skin and she resigned herself to the fact that it was just one more thing she had to do before the weekend was out. Leaning back in her chair she scanned a few of the numerous notes covering the margins, Ian certainly had nothing nice to say about the article. Really this article should have been a snap, it was the term question and answer article. "You do realize this is going to take hours of work to fix," she mumbled under her breath.

"Well if you'd given me quality material to work with then you wouldn't be in this mess. God I hope the material you sent to Fineas Devlin was better than this." Narrowing her eyes, Kate crumbled up the edited article into a ball and chucked it at Ian. The projectile struck the back of his head and he looked up from where he was inspecting the calendars on the wall. Kneeling, Ian picked up the parchment and started back to her desk. 'What the hell has gotten into you Kate? Your behavior has been nothing short of lunacy since the first task."

Kate immediately recoiled at his impatient and harsh voice. Sighing, she slumped further down in her chair. "I'm sorry Ian, I'm sorry!" She snapped and covered her face with her hands.

Going around the other side of his paper-laden desk, Ian grabbed his rolling chair and hauled it across to where she sat. With an easy grace he settled his body and long limbs, crossing his arms over his chest. Fixing her with his fierce green eyes, Ian held her gaze for a few long, miserable seconds. "Talk," he said firmly.

Arching an eyebrow she made to question him but he held up a hand dismissing any protest. "We're friends right? So friends talk to each other and, er, share things." Ian ran his fingers through his dark curls and grinned. "So you know, share things."

Twisting her fingers together, Kate wondered where she would even start with the mess she was currently in. "I'm failing transfiguration, McGonagall said that if I don't make at least an 'A' on my term exam I'm going to have to drop the subject. Then Snape has been a nightmare in class not to mention all the homework we all have piling up," she was just beginning to get into a good stride with her rant when Ian's hand shot out of nowhere and clamped over her mouth.

"I said talk, not complain until my sodding ears rot off," he said and his mouth lifted in a half grin as Kate raised her eyebrows. The idiot wanted her talk about what was going wrong didn't he? Well, that's exactly what she had been doing. "None of that stuff is bothering you and we both know it. Will you tell me what's really going on?"

Groaning she pried his hand from her mouth. "It's Stephen, he wants me to talk to my father." Ian's eyebrows flew up and for the first time all day she felt the corners of her mouth quirk up.

"Yeah I know," she said.

Tilting his chair back, Ian let out a low whistle. "But you and your dad don't speak," he said and she shrugged with a nod. This was also something that caused an almost smile to take her face.

"Thank you for stating the obvious," she teased and tugged on the sleeves of her sweater.

Shaking his head Ian leaned over and placed his hands on her knees. "Kate you and your dad really don't speak, as in you told him that you'd rather be on your own and disappoint him instead of let him continue to ignore you all while pushing you in a professional direction you didn't want to go in. Something tells me he hasn't exactly forgiven the fact that you packed up and moved in with Elise when you weren't even fourteen." Casting her eyes to the floor Kate shrugged and bit her lip.

Ian didn't want her complaining and moaning all over the place about school. He certainly wouldn't want to listen to her cry over her somewhat twisted family life. Kate turned her attention to everything lying across her desk. Mostly it as just editorials and notes for columns, but they were pieces of the work she'd done for the paper, of the life she built at Hogwarts. Career options had never been an issue for Kate; from the first time she picked up a quill she knew that journalism was the path for her. "Yeah well Stephen is an only child and comes from one of those families where his parents worship everything he does."

Ian snorted, as the middle of five children he knew all about siblings vying for parental attention. "That explains a lot, what have you told him?"

Lifting her eyes she gave him a short glance. "That I've lived with Elise ever since she came to move Cara and me out. I explained that we don't speak anymore and the hope of a reconciliation isn't even an option." Kate frowned as she spoke; even she hated putting their relationship into such harsh terms.

"Well I can only guess as to why Stephen wants to meet your father." Ian didn't even bother hiding the rather grating note of derision in his voice. Sitting up straighter Kate took him in with curious eyes; there was something darker in his tone as if he spoke with immense dislike. "How easily coincidental that your father's profession be the same as Stephen's desired one."

Frowning, she shifted in her chair and began to absently fiddle with her long sheets of hair. "You're not going to suggest that the main reason he's dating me is to get to my dad," she muttered in disbelief.

Shrugging, Ian spun his chair in a lazy circle. Tapping his scuffed shoes on the floor, he seemed to be struggling to find the right words. "It's not that he isn't genuinely interested in you because I'm sure he is. Outside of these moments when you act truly insane, you're quite a catch," he started and Kate felt the rather large finish on the tip of his tongue. "But you also have to admit this is very convenient. I told you ages ago Kate, Delancourt is a social climber. He'll do whatever it takes to get higher on that ladder."

Already Kate knew he was right, but stupid pride kept her from admitting it to him. Ever since the first conversation they'd had about her father Kate knew Stephen's motives. "He keeps saying that he wants to help me reconnect with my dad," she said softly.

"Not nearly as much as he wants to be connected to your father." Ian finished her unspoken statement. In some way allowing him to say it out loud was the same as an open admission from her that he was right and she had been wrong, so wrong. "Have you talked to Cara about it?" He asked.

Discomfort tightened like a heavy band over her insides. Yes, she had spoken to Cara. Her sister had been a lot less kind about her feelings towards Stephen's blatant manipulations. "We've talked," she said edgily. More than anything Cara wanted to know when Kate was going to try and make up with her father, Stephen's involvement or no. "She said pretty much the same things you did but at the same time wants me to talk to dad," she muttered looking down at her hands.

"Really? I didn't know Cara wanted that."

Kate laughed humorlessly, she hated the way the laugh sounded hollow. "Oh yeah, she hates that we don't talk even though she recognizes it was a bit rash of dad to cut me off so short, she thinks that I'll have to be the one to make the first move."

Ian's stare intensified and he seemed to be working out the details in his mind. "What do you think?"

"I think that I got my stubbornness from somewhere, and that Cara's right."

"Yes but you handle confrontation about as well as I handle social situations, which is to say you're awful at it." There was a long pause and he reached out, and pulled her into a hug. "You know what you have to do don't you Kate?" He asked into her hair.

Kate sighed, but nodded into his shoulder. She knew of three very important things she had to do. Out of the three she didn't know which would be hardest: writing a letter to her father, apologizing to George or breaking up with Stephen. Ian's fingers dug into her sides and he began to tickle her. Squirming, Kate fought to get out of his grasp shrieking in laughter.

* * * * *

Ian had managed to keep a straight face for Kate; he'd even managed to hold all the nasty comments in. Impossible as it had been, he didn't want to upset his best friend by saying all he awful things he had to say about Delancourt. Now that he was alone he could openly stew over the situation. He could also go take care of it.

There were five dorms to house the Ravenclaw sixth year boys. Ian slept in the third room, sharing with five year mates. Although he called the News Dungeon home he still got on quite well with his roommates. One of them, Justin Boot, was there that afternoon. Coming into the room Ian set his bag down and pulled off his outer sweater, revealing a grey long sleeved shirt. He ran a shaking hand through his hair and peered at his reflection in the mirror.

"Hey Justin," he said and the boy in question looked up from the potions notes he was organizing.

"What's up Ian?" He asked with a grin.

"What dorm does Delancourt sleep in?" He asked, flicking a few curls back into place before turning away to face his roommate. Justin sat up and scratched the back of his neck.

"Five, I'm pretty sure, why what's up?"

Ian snatched a blue oxford from the foot of his bed and started pulling it on, doing the buttons up in silence. Right now he was so angry he couldn't even begin to form the words to explain to his friend. Quickly he rolled the sleeves on his shirt up and began to gather his things. "Do you know if he'll be there before going down for dinner?"

Justin snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah he should be there, primping in front of the mirror I can bet."

"Thanks I'll see you at dinner." Then he strode out of his dorm and down the hall to dorm five. Knocking, he waited and to his great fortune Delancourt answered. He was alone. Surprise colored his features, but Ian could have cared less what that little sod thought of him at the moment.

Opening the door wider, Stephen allowed Ian to come in. "What can I do for you Haynes?" He asked and went back to the open jar of hair product sitting on the dresser, completely ignoring him. Dislike welled up in every cell of Ian's body. How Kate saw anything in him Ian would never know.

Crossing his arms over his chest Ian paused a moment before finding the words. "I'm here to talk to you about Kate."

Stephen chuckled, and Ian slightly recoiled from the derisive air. Turning around, Stephen leaned against the dresser and put his hands in his jeans pockets. "I was wondering when you'd turn up to corner me. Although recently I'd have put five galleons that it would have been Weasley over you."

Frowning, Ian dropped his arms and clenched his fists before relaxing and pulling his arms behind his back. Getting into a fight with Delancourt would only result in nasty gossip and nasty bruises; there was no way he could take on the quidditch player. "I've no idea what you're talking about," he said dismissively.

"Of course you don't," he replied and lifted one corner of his mouth up in a smirk. "And yet, you're still here."

"I'm here to talk to you about her father," said Ian and fought the urge to throw out a few choice insults. Stephen pulled away from the dresser and sauntered over to his four-poster. The royal blue curtains were pulled back to reveal the charcoal sweater he was now pulling on over a black t-shirt.

"I don't begin to see how her father is any business of yours."

"Or yours," said Ian sharply. Stephen's color drained slightly and his shoulders tensed.

Raised to his full height, Stephen was only a scarce inch taller than Ian. The harsh lines of his face suggested that he wasn't going to take it well if Ian pushed him too far. Not that he cared much in that moment; he was far too incensed on his friend's behalf. "Don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong Haynes. What goes on with Kate, her father and myself is related to us. Especially where my attempts to help her are concerned."

It was Ian's turn to blanch and he dug his fingers into the palms of his hands and stepped away. "You have no idea what you're getting into with her family. Don't push her to do something she doesn't want to do just because it benefits you."

"My benefit?" Stephen pretended to be truly surprised at this statement. Well, he was a good actor, Ian would give him that but he knew better by now. "The only benefit I see is the reunion of my girlfriend with her estranged family. How could you possibly misconstrue that?"

"You can lie to her but you can't lie to me Delancourt. You might have some sort of twisted genuine feeling for her yes, but your primary concern with her family is entirely related to what you stand to gain if you get cozy with her dad."

Suddenly Stephen was on the other side of the room, standing within a foot of him. He held up a shaking finger and pocked him in the chest. "I'm sure you've already told her as much, trying to twist any intention of mine. Well I don't see it mattering much," he snapped. "She's still not looking at you as if you were the most important person in her life is she? After all this time you're still falling all over yourself for her. You and Weasley both," he spat and gave a humorless laugh.

Confusion assaulted Ian's mind. What in Merlin's beard was he talking about? Weasley had been beside himself for her for months yes, but not him. Ian saw Kate as a friend, his best friend. Nothing more or less, he was certain of that. "I know you're a jerk Delancourt but I didn't think that you were deluded. Kate and I are just friends."

Rolling his eyes, Stephen walked away and grabbed his bag from his desk chair. "Which explains why you have her holed up in that room all hours on end, why you drag her away from her friends and her boyfriend to work on frivolous paper stuff you could do alone. It's probably why you find it convenient to interrupt us when we're alone, I'm sure that's the motivation of innocent friendship talking."

"That's exactly what it is," he snapped. "She's one of my best friends and can do better."

"With who?" Stephen asked. "George Weasley? Don't make me laugh Ian."

Inhaling deeply Ian recognized that his brain was telling his body to haul off and hit the jerk. If only he'd thought to record this entire conversation, maybe he could have forced Kate to figure out what was going on. "He's a damn sight better than you are! At least he's genuinely interested in her."

"Yeah I'm sure that's such a comfort for you," he said. "I'm sure he'd be so willing to let her run off with you whenever you deemed necessary which is every other five minutes."

Ian acted before he could stop himself. Suddenly he had Ian by the collar of his sweater and jerked him roughly. The anger blazed white hot in his system threatening to explode in a bout of yelling. Instead he gave him another hard shake. "If you hurt my girl you will regret it everyday for the rest of your time at Hogwarts. I'm not the only one that will make your life a living hell Delancourt, don't forget it."

For a brief second fear flashed in his blue eyes. Ian let go and Stephen stumbled back, straightening his sweater. Without saying another word, Ian strode out of the room and let the door slam behind him.

* * * * *

Fred ducked just as a bludger zoomed straight towards his head. Spinning his torso he had just enough time to grip his bat and with a loud 'thwack' send the black ball across the pitch. Bending his body low over the handle of his broomstick, Fred shot across the field. Near the third goalpost George hovered, pulling his arm back, ready to hit the bludger again. Despite the frigid temperatures sweat poured down the back of Fred's neck and his forehead. They'd been out for nearly an hour and he was beginning to feel his muscles really seize up.

"Oi!" He called across the pitch but it was too late. George brought his arm around and in a rather impressive hit; he sent the bludger screaming back to his brother. Fred felt as if he were frozen, watching the stupid black ball hurtle closer and closer.

"Fred!" George shouted and snapping out of his reverie, Fred brought his bat up and the bludger glanced off it. With quite nimble skill George caught the bludger and wrestled it to the ground.

Anger bubbled in Fred's veins as he sailed down to the ground where his twin was shoving the ball into the crate. "Are you trying to kill me?" He growled and helped him shut the lid on the crate.

Lifting his eyes in a dark glare, George seemed to be debating a rather violent motion before he thought better of it. Instead of saying anything he picked up his broom and started for the changing rooms. "It was an easy shot to block, I've no idea why you couldn't hit it," he called over his shoulder. Grumbling under his breath Fred reminded himself that pummeling his brother wasn't going to solve the problem.

Of course the problem was that his brother was acting like the world's biggest prat. So, perhaps it would be better to thump his head against a wooden post a few times just for good measure. Shoving his sweat slicked hair from his eyes he loosened the light scarf he wore and passed through the fabric flap that led to the Gryffindor changing room. George had just gotten up the stairs and was putting his broom away.

"I don't know what the hell has gotten into you these last few weeks George but I really think you ought to have it out. Murder attempts are where I draw the line of my patience!" He snapped and pulled off his robes and tossed them in the laundry cart.

His mirror image glared over his shoulder as he pulled on a fresh sweatshirt. "That wasn't a murder attempt, trust me Fred you are low on my list of people I'd like to see dead," said George and huffed out a sigh. George slumped down on a bench and cast his sullen glance to the floor.

Fred examined the completely defeated stance of his brother and his last thread of patience snapped. "That's it!" He yelled. "I'm sick and tired of watching you mope around and pine for Kate when it's plain as day that she's not going to choose you!" He shouted. Fred wasn't even actually sure how much he believed in these statements but if it got George out of his funk he didn't really care.

"How do you know she won't choose me?" George snapped crossing his arms over his chest. They were on opposite sides of the long bench, glaring daggers at each other.

"Because she's snogging Delancourt and not you!" Fred replied and groaned, running his hands over his hair.

Shrugging, George's mouth lifted up in a half smirk. "Delancourt isn't the only bloke she's been snogging." Fred felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. Kate and George had engaged in unmentionable snogging sessions and he hadn't been informed? He and George certainly had their private details about the opposite sex but Fred would have thought that his twin would have at least told him this.

Plopping down on the bench, Fred felt his anger drain away to good old-fashioned irritation. This was one of the few times he'd been truly annoyed with his brother before. "You mean to tell you me you've been shacking up with Kate and I didn't know?"

George turned a funny color of red that reminded Fred strongly of a smashed tomato. "We haven't been shacking up," he snapped. "There just might have been a bit of snogging a few times." Leaning back, Fred paused and waited for George to continue. He had privately always been convinced that Kate fancied George but had not actual proof of that; yet if she had been snogging him maybe there was something there.

"And?"

"And that's it." George finished lamely. Fred's eyebrows shot up; his brother never did anything lamely.

"So essentially she's been toying with you as a side project while she gets all the good stuff from Delancourt." George's frown morphed into a deep scowl. Wringing his hands he shook his head and glared at his brother.

"Thank you for putting it so eloquently," he said.

Grinning Fred shrugged his shoulders and scooted down the bench. Given the nature of his relationship with Angelina he wasn't the best man in the world to give love advice but he did know his brother. George was not prone to toying with girls or being toyed with, he was one of those blokes that got into a relationship and stayed there. "Well that's how it is isn't it? Kate's been offered two good options and instead of making up her mind she's stalling and trying to have the best of both worlds."

Watching George in that moment was like watching a child work out one of the arithmetic problems his mum used to make them do. His face screwed up as he mulled over the specifics of the situation and at last he shut his eyes. Groaning, he dropped his head into his hands. "Merlin's beard you're right, she's been using me this whole time."

"Not maliciously may I add," he said quickly, trying to temper the situation. Honestly Fred really liked Kate, she'd be a good match with his brother if she'd ever get her head on straight. "My guess is that she doesn't realize she's doing it."

"Still doesn't change the fact that it's wrong." George pointed out sourly.

Chuckling, Fred slung an arm over his brother's shoulder and condescendingly patted his cheek. "Course not which is why I'm going to make a suggestion," he said and bit the edge of his lip. How on earth was he going to word this without it coming off badly?

"Oh? What genius plan have you got?" George's voice was dripping with sarcasm, which Fred pretended to brush off his jeans.

"Oi careful with that these just came back from the laundry," he teased. "Look I like Kate, always have, she's a good friend. We do know however that decision making is not one of her best skills, and it doesn't look likely that she's going to make a choice between that sod Delancourt or you."

George nodded but said nothing. "So," said Fred continuing on with his cheeky grin. "I'm saying maybe you should put Kate on the back burner for now, focus on other things or other girls," he said and then braced himself for the wild card reaction.

Silence filled the changing room for a moment and George eventually got to his feet, stretching out. "You're probably right," he muttered. "Why the hell do you have to be right?"

Fred slapped George on the back they left the changing rooms and started across the pitch headed back to the castle. "Because not only am I the oldest twin I'm also the smartest and most handsome." George had him down in a headlock within a second of the comment.

"Shame you aren't the strongest," he quipped and dropped his brother easily on the hard ground. Looking up from where he had just gotten a mouthful of grass he saw George laughing, but waiting for him. A smile cracked on his face, there was the brother he knew. "Come on, let's go set off some dungbombs outside Snape's office."

Getting to his feet he jogged and caught up with George. "That sounds absolutely spiffing!"

**I had SO much fun writing Ian's confrontation with Stephen, it will not be the last time we see those arguments. Also I'm not going to lie I'm a little irritated and pleased with Fred for pointing out the reality of George's situation. I've wanted to air that one for a while. Next chapter starts the arc into the Yule Ball and Christmas break. **

**Reviews are love- Brose.**


	14. Love and the Astronomy Tower

**A/N: Greetings! Sorry for the delay on the update, I've been doing a little traveling with friends and then for grad school interviews. Anyway chapter contains some of my favorite interactions in the draft thus far. I've got the next several chapters loosely outlined but I have made some changes. One of the biggest changes was the last scene of this chapter. Also, I've started to map out where this story will end and where the sequel will begin. There are several pairings I want to tie into this little character-verse I've created but with the exception of Kate and George every other couple I write will be straight from canon.**

**I had fun writing this chapter, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who is reviewing, I'm glad you all adore Ian almost as much as I do! Also thanks to everyone who has favorited and alerted this story!**

**Disclaimer: You know what belongs to me and what doesn't. **

Chapter 13: Love and the Astronomy Tower

Charms class was slowing down Thursday after the article came out. Kate sat in the back with Alicia, drumming her quill on her desk. The girls were waiting for the bell to ring to dismiss them to dinner. "So are you going to eat with us tonight or are you going to hide in the News Dungeon again?" Alicia asked, her light tone eliciting a small smile from Kate.

"I'm going to grab a fast dinner and then go study for the Transfiguration exam, McGonagall has me doing extra practice sets so I won't fail the term," said Kate as she shut her book and sighed, running her fingers through her hair. Silently she sat back and crossed her arms over her chest waiting for Flitwick to pack up from his lecture.

The small professor walked up the steps of his lecture podium and peered over the ledge at his class. "I have an announcement that is being made all across the school," he said and a hint of a smile flickered over his small face. Alicia and Kate shared a sidelong glance and sat up, curious to hear more. "The Tri-Wizard tournament is of course not only about the competition but also about the forging of lasting relationships between the three schools. The Yule Ball is a tradition of the tournament meant for members of all three schools to come together for a night of dinner and dancing."

Whispers rose fast through the classroom. Kate felt the sudden urge to drop her head against the table and she shook her head, slumping deeper into her chair. That was the last thing she needed, a formal dance to make her breakup with Stephen only that much worse. "The Ball will be on Christmas night starting at eight and ending at midnight. Formal attire is required, either dress robes or muggle formal wear, whichever you choose. Students fourth year and above are welcome to attend, third year and younger must be asked by an older student in order to attend. More details will be provided by your head of house in the common room. Dismissed," he said and among the loud chatter the class dismissed.

Angelina swooped onto Kate's other side and the three girls rushed out of the classroom together. "Well that was unusual," said Alicia sarcastically.

"Are we going to be the only three girls in the school who aren't excited about this?" Asked Angelina as they started down the hallway towards the Great Hall. Kate's stomach was already in knots as she rolled around the idea in her head. Well that explained the request for dress robes or formal attire, but now that she knew would have to owl Elise, her little green cocktail dress wasn't going to be nice enough. Not that she would necessarily be going, especially if she broke up with Stephen.

All around them clumps of girls were giggling wildly and gesturing about dresses and hair. Eyes were already wandering around, and boys were scoping out their competition as well as potential dates. As Kate observed it she felt a horrible sinking feeling in her stomach that had nothing to do with the actual ball. "The only thing this Ball means to me is," but she never got to finish her statement.

"Kate!" Ian's voice rang through the hall and she whipped around to face him. "Ladies," he said with a quick grin to Alicia and Angelina who could only smile slightly open mouthed. Kate fought the urge to smirk; it amused her to no end how attractive her friends found Ian. "You won't mind if I borrow your charming friend do you?"

Alicia pushed Kate towards him. "I'm beginning to think you own on a contract on her life Haynes, we almost never see her since you keep her so busy."

Ian loosened the knot on his tie and threw an easy smile towards Kate whose fingers were itching to smack him upside his pretty head. "Well all work and no play assures a timely paper and keeps Kate from annoying you all to death," he said and slung an arm around her shoulder, steering her away from them. Looking back at her friends Kate rolled her eyes and waved.

"The answer is no," she said firmly.

Arching a brow he started towards the Great Hall. "We're going to get a fast bite to eat and head to the Dungeon," he said completely ignoring her remark.

"It's still no," she said. This was a battle she was going to lose, but she was still going to fight it. They slid into an empty section of the Ravenclaw table.

"So I'm thinking we get the special insert out by next week. Maybe the Thursday before classes end?" He continued on and reached out for the plate of green beans in front of him. "We'll want a special article from you and I'm having one of our events writers highlight hot fashions in dress robes and muggle clothing. Date shout outs will be put in place of editorials and I'm thinking we do an article on the headliner." Kate lifted her fork and pointed it menacingly at him.

Leaning back Ian did not bother conceal his amused expression and he crossed his arms over his chest. There was a wicked glint in his eyes. "Can you go ahead and exhaust your empty protests so we can get to work?" He asked and turned back to his food.

Kate managed to eat half a plate full when Ian was getting to his feet, slinging his bag over his shoulder. Motioning to her she scrambled up, flattening her skirt over her legs and snatching her own heavy bag. "You're going to be the death of me," she mumbled and pushed away the arm he was about to throw over her shoulder. Her petty actions only seemed to further amuse him. Together they walked down the main aisle that separated Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.

On either side of them students was talking loudly over food or Kate could already see the dividing lines growing stronger. News of the Ball amongst the older students was going to create an unrivaled chaos. For so many poor boys it was impossible to talk to a girl much less ask her to a Ball, Kate's eyes swept over a pair of terrified looking fifth year boys, they were watching a group of the fourth year Gryffindor girls flounce by. Kate bit her lip, she didn't want to admit it but maybe some help on how to prepare for a Ball would be useful.

Just as she was about to say something she heard a pitch of laughter close by, it was familiar. Turning her head she saw a red headed Weasley walking with Gail Gilbret, a sixth year in Hufflepuff. Kate knew from the wristband that it was George, and he was laughing at something she had just said. Her stomach was somewhere in the vicinity of the dungeons, George was walking her to her table and had just brushed a curl from her shoulder. Gail had thick chocolate brown hair that tumbled down her midback in glossy curls, framing her heart shaped face.

Frowning, Kate looked down at her messy champagne hair. It hung in a limp braid, which had been an attempt to hide the fact that she hadn't washed it in two days. "Kate are you alright?" Ian's voice reached her ears but she barely processed his words as George placed a hand on the small of Gail's back to help her sit down. Then he sat down next to her, his back leaning against the tabletop and his legs stretching into the aisle.

"What?" She asked absently. "No, I'm fine," she muttered and watched as the pair laughed. Something was clawing inside her body, making her feel irritated and raw. What on earth was he doing? Since when had he even been friends with Gail Gilbret? Sure she was a very nice girl, it was hard to dislike someone who was nice to practically everyone. In fact it was too easy, especially in comparison to other girls who were grouchy and indecisive. Kate's frown increased.

The urge to march over there and steal George's attention was almost unbearable. Kate didn't want him talking to Gail, or any other girl for that matter. It was the same feeling she had when she thought about George and Jennelyn dating. Only this time she watched on and realized that there was the threat of an actual possibility where none existed with Jennelyn. Discomfort rose in her stomach and she felt as if she was going to be sick all over the floor. This was all wrong!

Warm fingers latched over her arm and tugged her gently. "Come on, before everyone notices you gaping like a total idiot." Alicia muttered softly in her ear and Kate felt herself being dragged away.

Oxygen was in short supply as she tried to draw in a deep breath and the words weren't coming. That was mainly because the thoughts assaulting her were too intense to do anything else. Vaguely she was aware that Alicia was steering her out of the kitchens and Ian was following, Cara jogging to catch up with them. "Let's take her down to the News Dungeon," he said and turned the sharp right that led

towards Snape's classroom and the rest of the dungeons.

"Merlin's. Flaming. Beard." Was all Kate could say as Ian opened the room to them and Cara pushed her inside. Once Kate was sitting she could see three concerned faces hovering in front of her.

"Do you think she's going to snap out of it?"

"It's about damn time she finally had this freak out," said Cara in response to Alicia's worried tone. "She does this all the time when something major happens." The back of Kate's mind was telling her to snap back at Cara, take offense. Yet the mental image of George snogging Gail bloomed in her head and she struggled for air again. Why on earth would he want to snog that too nice trollop stick girl? Didn't he know that Kate fancied the pants right off of him?

The words burst forth into her mind like a chorus of trumpets playing as a ton of cauldrons came crashing in on her head. After literally months of stupidly ignoring the rest of her friends she understood what they had been trying to say. Never in the history of her life had she understood something so acutely and painfully perfectly. "Oh shite," she whispered. "I fancy George."

Everything happened at once. Ian began to laugh, burying his fingers in his hair and strolling away. Tears of mirth threatened to pour down his cheeks and at the same time Alicia rocked back on her heels and let out a drawn breath. Cara reached out with no warning and smacked her up the backside of her head, hard. "FINALLY!" She yelled and stood up, whirling in an angry circle.

The hard hit jolted Kate back into reality. "I mean I really, really fancy George," she said and rubbed her head.

"Well it's nice of you to finally catch up," said Ian as he came back around and sat on her desk. He was still shaking in suppressed laughter meanwhile Alicia was sitting quietly before her. "How come none of you told me this?" Kate suddenly demanded.

"Because you needed to figure it out on your own! We can't do all the work for you," said Cara, coming up to smooth Kate's flyaway hair. Kate leaned against her sister, feeling suddenly exhausted and truly awful.

Alicia patted her knee. "When you were ready to figure it out you would. I just hope it's not too late," she said softly.

Wincing, Kate's mind returned to Gail. "I can't believe I didn't figure this out sooner. I mean it sort of explains everything," she said. Her thoughts strayed to the way his kisses made her want to melt into the floor and the way they were always so unusually comfortable together. All of the times they had spent half the night talking in the common room now held a new significance; each time had always meant something more than she could ever quantify. Now she knew. Kate had fancied George and never really knew it.

Even the two warnings she had against dating George seemed completely inconsequential. Jennelyn would either learn to get over this minor transgression or she would just have to live with disappointment. And as for Stephen? Well, Kate had never been so positive about what she had to do where he was concerned. Getting to her feet she started for the doorway. "Uh Kate where are you going?" Ian asked. "We still have hours of work to do on the insert."

Pausing she shook her head at him. "I've got something way more important to do," she said and started for the door again. Three sets of hands held her back and forced her back into her chair.

"You cannot go talk to George right now, you just figured this out," said Alicia.

"You cannot break up with Stephen when you're acting this spacey either," said Cara.

"I don't really care about all of that I just want you to start the research on the Weird Sisters," said Ian and went around to his desk to grab his wand.

Alicia smiled and got to her feet. "Sleep on all of this, you need time to think."

Kate slumped against her desk watching Cara and Alicia leave the Dungeon.

Ian dumped a huge stack of magazines featuring the booked band on her desk.

* * * * *

The next day Kate had to wait out her classes. All day long she wrote lines in the margins of her notes, trying to come up with the best way to break up with Stephen. Unfortunately all she had come up with was enough cliché lines to fill more than one column. At least she had an idea for the next column. In all her time writing she had yet to write the essential 'how not to break up with someone' column.

When the bell rang signaling the end of her last class Kate stood and put her things in her bag. She kept her eyes trained on her desk as she slung the strap over her shoulder. It was Friday, which meant that Stephen would be waiting for her at the entrance to the Great Hall. Sure enough as she came down the staircase from the second floor to the main entrance there he was. Her heart swooped into her stomach; regardless of the fact that she didn't fancy him Stephen was still gorgeous. As soon as she hit the bottom step he looked up at her and a wide grin took his face.

"Hello," he said and placed a hand at the small of her back and started to guide her to the Great Hall. Pulling away she paused and then shook her head.

"Let's go down to the kitchens," she said and he arched a brow but said nothing and together they started toward the staircase. She felt her body tense up as he slid his hand into hers, so casual and easy. Once inside the doorway she started for a stool at one of the counters when Stephen's hand closed over her wrist.

"Hey stranger," he said and bent down, claiming her lips in a short kiss. A sense of panic was filling Kate as he pulled away and led her to sit down. "So what inspired this venture away from the prying eyes of the school?" He asked and brought his hand up to loosen the knot on his tie.

Kate swallowed, he had an excellent shadow running along his jaw and she could now see the hollow of his throat as he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. Closing her eyes she thought immediately of George and his messy red hair. Comfort flooded her and she remembered why she was doing this. "I needed to talk to you about something," she said and hoped that her voice wasn't shaking as much as she thought it was.

Stephen's lazy grin widened. "You aren't wasting much time are you," he sad and the house elves rushed forward interrupting them. Plates of food were appearing all around them and Kate was fast so fill one up just to further prolong the inevitable. Stephen however reached out and stayed her hands. With a flourish of his wand red, white and green streamers erupted from the tip followed by white carnations. "We've got plans to make for Christmas if you'll go the ball with me."

Biting her lip she was about to say something when Stephen swept his arm across the tabletop to clear if of the streamers. His bag toppled to the floor and spilled all over the floor. Jumping up before he could react she knelt down and started to pick up the materials. Just as he tried to pull his books away from her Kate noticed a lime green envelope. Shining purple ink was scrolled across the top left corner bearing the crossed wand and bone.

"What is this?" She asked as her eyes skimmed over the familiar name: Theodore Kelley, Healer. Sucking in a hard breath she lifted her eyes to meet Stephen's. The blood in her veins ran cold; contrasting sharp with the white-hot anger that she felt bubbling in her heart. "You wrote to my father." Her voice shook as she spoke.

"Don't get mad," said Stephen warily.

"After what I told you, what I asked you," her voice shook as she clenched the envelope tighter in her trembling hand. Hot tears threatened her lower lids but she did not want to cry in front of him. "Who do you think you are? I asked you to stay out of my family mess!" Her voice was almost at shouting threshold as she backed away from him, holding the letter into her chest.

Stephen drew his height up and Kate saw the brief spasm of fear flash in his eyes. Reaching out with a long arm she thought at first he was moving to touch her shoulder. Instead his fingers spread out and went for the green envelope. Stepping back Kate shook her head. "It's nothing to worry about Kate, it was just a short letter."

"No it's not just a short letter Stephen. It was you going behind my back and thinking you had the right to get into contact with my father." Kate couldn't remember the last time she'd been so angry.

Running his fingers through his hair Stephen tried once again to draw closer. "Kate I only wanted to help you," he said. A week ago she would have lapped up his overly sincere tone. Now she knew better and instead she moved around the corner of the table further away from him. Ian had been right the entire time; all Stephen really needed from her was an easy way up the social ladder.

"Oh I'm sure that it's only my benefit your concerned about," she snapped and opened the envelope hastily reading the letter. As to your inquiry about a summer internship that is not in my power to grant," she read and then lifted her iron eyes to his.

It was Stephen's turn to back away and he shook his head, dropping his arm away from her. "Kate," he started to say but she held up a hand, her palm facing him. Immediately he silenced his inquiry.

"You don't get to talk anymore," she said and felt the hot tears begin to brim over her eyelids. Blinking them away, Kate was fighting the impulse to pick up the heaviest object she could find and beat him with it. "The only person you want to help is yourself Stephen and you didn't care about my feelings so long as I serve as a solid rung on the social ladder. Well you know what?" She ripped the letter into quarters and grabbed her bag, shoving them into the inside pocket. "You can forget it."

Stephen started toward the bag but she shook her head and slung it over her shoulder. "Don't you think you're overreacting Kate?" He was trying to recover, flipping his hair elegantly over his eyes. Kate didn't buy it, she was finished letting him walk all over her.

"What are you doing?" He asked. "Breaking up with me?" The way he phrased the question suggested that she would have to be out of her mind to do something so, well, stupid.

Kate knew it was wrong, but she couldn't deny the slight lift of the left corner of her mouth. "That's exactly what I'm doing."

Stephen's mouth dropped open. "And the ball?"

Rolling her eyes she gestured to the whole almost six feet of his handsome frame. "You're Stephen Delancourt, go ask a Hufflepuff girl and she'll probably die of heart failure before she can say yes. Just so long as you leave my family and me alone," she said and fixed a hard glare on him. "If I find out you've been in contact with my father again there is nobody that will stop me from hexing you into the next century." His face took on an unattractive sneer.

"It's Weasley isn't it? That's part of why you're doing this."

George's handsome face flashed behind her eyes. "Yes," she said and tilted her chin up to face him straight on. "That's part of the reason. But that letter? That sealed the deal," she said and took a deep breath. "The next time you want to take advantage of someone it won't be me."

"You're making a huge mistake," he said in a low voice.

"No Stephen, I made the mistake when I chose you, one I hope I can stilly rectify." Without another word or backward glance she strode out of the kitchens.

* * * * *

Cara Kelley had been looking for her sister all Friday night and Saturday. Somehow Kate had managed to hide away from the entire world but Cara couldn't figure out why. She had seen Delancourt strutting around the castle as if nothing in the world was wrong, which made her wonder if the breakup had actually happened. Yet confirming this was impossible as her older sister was nowhere to be found.

It was early Sunday morning as she jumped the vanishing step up the stairs to the Astronomy tower. To the best of her knowledge it was the last place Cara had not searched that would be even remotely likely. There were a thousand unanswered questions about what her sister had been doing the last day and a half that Cara wanted answered. They were sisters; that allowed Cara a certain privilege to heckle Kate until she got what she wanted.

Slightly panting from the last spiraling staircase Cara heaved open the heavy door that led straight into the main area of the tower. Sure enough she found the back of her sister facing her. Long waves of champagne blonde hair fell to past her shoulder blades and from what Cara could tell she was wearing jeans and a thin grey sweater. "Do you know how long I've been looking for you?" She asked, not even bothering for formalities.

Kate didn't even turn around or look up as Cara plunked down next to her on the ground. From their vantage point they could see the slope of the grounds leading past Hagrid's hut and toward the Forbidden Forest. In the weak morning sun the woods didn't look quite as foreboding as the usually did. Still, Cara had never been in the forest and had no plans to ever do so. "Amaze me with how long," said Kate softly.

"A day and a half. Do you have any idea how big this castle is and how many places you could potentially be?" All Cara could see was the profile of her sister's face. "Even Ian had no idea where you were and I swear he's put a tracking charm so he can drag you down to the Dungeon whenever he needs." At last she cracked a small smile, but Cara could tell by her slumped posture that something was wrong.

"He probably does," she said softly. After a brief silence Kate sighed and let her head drop onto Cara's shoulder. The response was automatic; she brought her arm about Kate's shoulder and began to toy with her hair. "I broke up with Stephen," she said and drew in a shuddering breath.

It took all of Cara's willpower to not shout her unbelievable joy to the whole castle. Although she didn't have a personal problem with Delancourt it had been clear from the start he was no good for her sister. "How are you holding up?" She asked, trying for her best 'supportive sister' impression.

"It's alright for you to be relieved I'm not torn up about the break up," said Kate.

Cara released a breath she had no idea she'd been holding. "Merlin's beard I'm glad it's over with," she said and felt Kate give a weak laugh. "Have you spoken to George yet?" She asked and was surprised when Kate shook her head no.

"Something more pressing has been taking up my time." It was then that Cara noticed Kate was holding something in her hands. The lime green parchment was indicative of St. Mungo's. She was very familiar with that stationery.

"You're going to have to give me more than that," she prodded and Kate lifted her head and finally faced her. Cara bit her lip. Kate's eyes were red ringed and puffy, as if she had been crying for quite a long time. "You look like hell," she muttered, reaching up to smooth away the flyaway strands of hair on her forehead.

Kate couldn't even reward the effort with a watery smile. "Stephen wrote to dad," she said and her lower lip trembled. "His bag fell on the floor and the letter slipped out and I just, I lost it," she said and Cara frowned.

"You cried in front of him?" She asked, that didn't sound like a very Kate thing to do.

Shaking her head she wiped another stray tear from her cheeks. "No, I more started to shout," she admitted and Cara fought a grin; that sounded a lot more like her sister.

The reality of the situation crashed down as Cara's eyes flicked from her teary sister to the letter. "That's dad's response isn't it?" She questioned and felt her whole body snap into attention. It had been at least a year since her last contact with her estranged father. For Cara the details of the reasons were still hazy, she had been so young when Elise came to take them away.

She remembered the fallout though. For weeks there had been rumors of the worst: physical abuse, verbal lashing, negligence and much worse. Whispers of the fight that had occurred between Kate and her father were blown into tales involving dueling and Theodore Kelley physically throwing his daughter from the house. None of that had been the case; it had boiled down to something simpler. Or at least by what Cara could tell it had become a case of their father being unable to give them the time they needed. Kate going head to head with him on her future had only exposed and further provoked the situation. Elise had come for them almost immediately.

"This is definitely dad's response," she whispered and Cara noted her lower lip was trembling again. Quietly she unfolded the letter. The vibrant green parchment bore shining purple writing and she noted there were two tear lines along the middle of each direction, Cara wondered when Kate had torn the letter up before repairing the damage. "I am not sure what my daughter had said to you of our relationship but the fact that you have written me indicates she has been very tight lipped. I cannot say much for my daughter's actions, we have been estranged these past few years and there is no hope of a renewal of our relationship. After our dealings I sincerely doubt she is of a favorable opinion of your contacting me and I echo that sentiment. Your business does not concern this family," she read and her voice shook as each word passed her lips.

Cara tightened her grip on her sister. "Oh Kate," she said softly.

"There is no hope of a renewal of our relationship." Kate repeated and her shoulders began to shake slightly as the tears started to well up again. Cara felt her own heart break for her sister. It was one thing to believe in that truth but to have it confirmed as a completely different feeling and she knew that her sister wouldn't take it well. "He made it sound like it was all a business transaction. That we aren't even family," she muttered and let Cara pry the letter from her hands.

Silently she read through and felt her heart pound hard in her chest as she drew to a finish. "Well at least you both agree that Stephen is a nosy sod who just couldn't keep his opinions or desires to himself," she said and lifted her wand. With a quick flourish she conjured several tissues, which floated into Kate's open hands.

"Well you can imagine that the water works started not too long after I read that on Friday night. I've been hiding ever since," she said and sighed. "It's so cowardly but it seems all I can do these days is hide."

Cara tilted her head to the side. "That's not entirely true. You got the gumption to dump Delancourt haven't you? I can't imagine it was too easy for you to reign in your temper and actually get to the dumping part," she said.

Kate gave another weak laugh. "Especially when all I wanted to do was behead him with one of the kitchen serving platters."

"Have you talked to anyone else yet?" Cara asked.

"No," she said softly. "I can't bring myself to listen to Ian's slightly critical tones and Merlin knows I'm not in a mood for one of his 'I told you so' speeches." There was a long pause. "I considered going to George but I wouldn't even know where to begin."

An owl soared lazily overhead, and Cara watched it pass, soaking up everything her sister had said. "I think you should go talk to George. He doesn't have much to go on when it comes to our family history but he can read you like an open book. Let's go find him and maybe you can begin to sort out your feelings for him."

With slight hesitation, Kate pulled herself to her feet and let Cara loop their arms together. Leading the way, Cara brought her down from the astronomy tower. "It's almost nine thirty where will he be?" She asked.

"Great Hall for breakfast," said Kate and together the siblings picked their way through he castle. "Thanks for hunting me down. I really needed you but I couldn't bring myself to go out in public alone."

Cara squeezed her sister's hand. "It's what I'm here for."

At the base of the stairs in the main atrium they came to a dead halt. George was walking out of the Great Hall with his arm around Gail Gilbret's shoulder. Kate's mouth dropped slight open and just as George looked up and they locked eyes another voice caught her attention. "I can't believe it."

Whipping her gaze to the small hallway that fed from the dungeons into the atrium Kate found the last person she wanted to see next to Stephen. Jennelyn Ward was holding the strap of her bag so tightly her knuckles were white. "Jenn," she breathed just as George passed.

Inclining his head at them his hazel eyes locked with Kate's. Cara could tell from one look that her sister had been too late. His hand reflexively tightened on Gail's shoulder and he led her away from the three friends. "You know when Stephen told me that this whole time you're the girl George fancied I couldn't believe it. Then when he said that you fancied him too I called him a liar; because there is no way on earth my best friend would go behind my back like that." The raven-haired girl drew in an uneven breath.

Cara immediately stepped between her sister and Jennelyn. A nasty sinking in her stomach told her that this fight was going to come to blows if she didn't diffuse it fast. "Jennelyn calm down," she started but Jennelyn ignored her completely.

"Tell me I didn't make a huge arse out of myself by calling Stephen a liar," said Jenn. "Tell me you don't fancy George Weasley." Kate stood behind her sister, clutching the letter from her father in one hand; her free hand was at her chest, clutching her now completely broken heart.

**So I'm not sure if I should hide from you guys or not. First I get your hopes up with Kate stepping up to the plate and dumping Stephen…only to give you a downer with George. I promise, promise; promise it is the setup to VERY good things that are coming in the VERY near future! Stick it out a few more chapters and you'll see what I mean!**

**Reviews are love—Brose **


	15. Love and the Canary Cream

**A/N: Yes I'm still alive and writing! I'm am so sorry about the huge delay, my life has been crazy with traveling, moving, a new job and going back to the drawing board on life plans. For those of you in high school or college…stay there…the adult world is no fun I've come to discover!**

**Anywho, I'm back with purpose and inspiration. I've got a lot of things lined out, lined up and already written! This chapter is a bit longer than the average and gains some more ground on what we've been working on. Not a lot of George/Kate action but it's coming I promise if you bear with me for a couple more chapters it's all going to work out! **

**Also, thank you for all the reviews an alerts. I received the most reviews I've ever received for last chapter so I'm hoping the positive response will continue. Normally I send PM's to each review but I'm way behind so please accept my thank you here, I will start back up with that this chapter. **

**Disclaimer: All original characters and places belong to me, the rest does not!**

Chapter 14 Love and the Canary Cream

Kate felt like she had been transported from her thoroughly enjoyable life into her own personal hell. Watching George walk away with another girl effectively killing their friendship and her hopes was bad enough. Now she had a crushing letter from her father in one hand and Jennelyn Ward looking as if she was going to bite off the other. Cara was standing faithfully in front of her, as if to shield her from the inevitable.

"Tell me the truth Kate," said Jennelyn, her voice reaching a dangerous low tone. Kate hated that tone of voice; it only meant that she was building up to the yelling.

Shaking her head she pinched the bridge of her nose and then opened her eyes surveying who was surely her soon to be ex-best friend. "Can we talk about this somewhere more private?" She asked, her glance darting to a small gaggle of second years peering from around the doorway.

Flipping all of her dark waves over her shoulder Jennelyn drew herself up to full height. "No I think here is perfectly fine," she said.

"Jennelyn come on this isn't the place to have this conversation," said Cara stepping forward. Her hand was reached out in a gesture that clearly indicated peace. A fresh wave of affection rose in Kate for her sister, nobody could protect her quite the way Cara could.

For a long moment Jennelyn stood, seething but seemingly torn between listening to Cara and telling her to shove off. At long last her shoulders rounded in slight defeat and she stalked down the hall towards the nearest empty classroom. Flitwick's first year lecture hall was about as good a place as any for Kate to endure the shouting.

Cara had slipped inside and Kate turned to look at her, she didn't want to send her sister away but things were about to get really personal. "It's okay," she said as Cara read her intentions.

Shaking her head Cara leaned closer and dropped her voice low. "I'm afraid if I leave she's going to kill you."

A weak smile crossed Kate's face. "I think I can manage to avoid death." Cara made to open her mouth and argue but was instead gently prodded out the door. Shutting it behind her Kate turned to face Jennelyn. The girl was sitting on an empty desk, staring at her.

"You fancy him don't you?" Jennelyn asked. Her voice was considerably calmer and Kate took a deep breath of relief. So long as there was no shouting maybe they could talk things out rationally.

Walking over to the adjacent desk, Kate lifted herself onto the hard surface. Looking down at the floor she noted several scorch marks made from misaimed wands and scrapes from where chairs were pushed and pulled out. "Yeah I do," she admitted. Jennelyn sucked in a hard breath and tilted her head so her gaze was boring straight into Kate.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked sharply.

Leaning back, Kate braced her palms against the desktop that stretched behind her. "Because I didn't know until a few days ago. I guess I just ignored all the signs and kept moving headlong into what was eventually a disaster with Stephen."

The silence between them was wildly oppressive, as Jennelyn seemed to process her words. "Did you know he fancied you?" She asked.

It was one of the questions Kate had been really hoping to avoid. "Yeah, I figured it out a while ago," she said and lifted her eyes to the ceiling. Somehow, all along, she knew this conversation was bound to happen. In recent days she'd imagined it more often, although never with Stephen as Jennelyn's tip off.

Jennelyn seemed to be lost in her own train of thought for a while before she recovered her words. "How long ago?" She asked.

Shrugging, Kate sat up straight and ran her fingers through her hair. Her limited patience was only going to last so much longer if Jennelyn was going to insist on playing twenty questions with her. "I don't know Jenn, before Hogsmeade and my birthday?"

"So you knew when I had asked you to help me with him?" The frustrated tone was seeping back into Jenn's voice.

"I didn't when you had asked me, I just figured it out one night when I was hanging out with the boys," she said and dropped her hands into her lap. Kate didn't want this conversation to go on any longer. After losing George and everything with her father the thought of losing another friend was painful, even if she had seen the end of this friendship coming for weeks.

"Why didn't you tell me that you knew? Kate you could have told me before I went and asked him to the village. When I came to you crying about him rejecting me you knew that he liked you!" Jennelyn ranted, hopping to her feet. Kate watched through her lashes as she strode back and forth, trying to piece it all together. "You lied to me."

Lifting her head Kate arched an eyebrow. "And you wouldn't have? Jenn did you listen to yourself the day that you asked George? You were going on and on about how you wanted to know whom that girl was so you could essentially tear her down! Of course I wasn't going to tell you after that."

The words stopped Jennelyn dead in her tracks. She opened and closed her mouth for a few seconds and if Kate had been feeling like herself it would have been quite comical. In the back of her mind she could see Fred and George doing a really excellent impression of it. Then just the mere thought of George reminded her of part of why she was so heartbroken and why she and Jenn were here in the first place.

"If you had told me I wouldn't have gotten mad," said Jenn in that irritatingly persistent tone of hers.

Rolling her eyes Kate shook her head. "Yes, you would have and we both know it Jenn. I would have had to endure tons of bitter comments and if George and I ever got together you would have loathed both of us."

Crossing her arms over her chest Jennelyn shook her head fiercely and then turned away. Kate's head was beginning to throb just thinking about the mess she had somehow gotten herself into. "Maybe, but at least then we would have been honest with each other. If you didn't want to help me you should have said so."

The words hadn't even finished coming out of Jennelyn's mouth when Kate's temper snapped. "I didn't want to help you and you knew it from the very beginning! Maybe I didn't say it directly but you should never have asked me to use my friendship with George for your own personal gain. I'm not a tool you can use to get what you want Jenn!" Her voice was edging on shouting as she got up and stood on the other side of the desk.

"Don't pin this on me! We both know you would have done it if you weren't invested in George!"

Kate closed her mouth at a loss for words. For a long moment she had to consider whether or not Jennelyn was right. If she hadn't felt that surge of jealousy whenever it came up would she have helped her out? Still the thought of doing her friend's dirty work repulsed her. "No, Jenn I would have done exactly the same thing."

From the other side of the room Jenn was silent and then she fixed her with a straight glare. "Did you kiss him?"

The thought of lying was incredibly tempting but Kate knew better. "Yes."

"When?"

Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose and grabbed her bag from the floor. "It doesn't matter when," she said.

"Yes it does." Jennelyn insisted.

"No! It doesn't matter Jenn because you've already made up your mind haven't you? You know how this is going to end just as well as I do. So I kissed George, so what? I'm not sorry for it if that's what you want to hear, I'm not sorry for any of it."

Jennelyn looked as if she'd been slapped. "You're not sorry for lying to me? For going behind my back?" She asked wide-eyed. The sick part of Kate's brain thoroughly enjoyed the reaction, as if it never occurred to Jennelyn that she wouldn't do everything in her power to keep their friendship.

Shaking her head, Kate started for the door. "No, I'm not sorry. I've put up with you insulting my boyfriend, trying to manipulate my friendship with George and basing our friendship on the condition that I do what you want. Maybe I handled the whole thing wrong, but I wasn't the only one."

Without another word she let the door slam behind her. Cara was waiting for her outside with several bundles of food and a flagon of pumpkin juice. The sisters didn't need to say anything to each other. Instead Cara led her up to her dorm in the Ravenclaw common room where Kate was at last able to curl up in privacy and cry

Into her sister's shoulder until there were no more tears left.

When in any life doubt Kate hid in the news dungeon. These days it seemed as if her body were on autopilot, simply steering her to the huge scroll in the dungeons. It was where she fled to the Monday afternoon after the most horrible weekend she'd had in recent memory. "Charms be damned," she muttered as she pulled the scant notes she had for the insert article toward her.

To her left a revised layout of both the insert and the Christmas Eve issue were covered in hastily scribbled notes. Ian it seemed had anticipated her move and was setting her up with plenty to do. Sighing she grabbed her green corrections quill and began to go through his tedious notes. Some of the writings were in tight shorthand and in symbols, which she was positive only she could read. "You know when you spend more time down here than I do you might have a problem."

"Speak of the devil," she muttered and lifted her head to see Ian dumping his bag and robes into his desk chair.

As usual Ian completely ignored her personal space and cleared a corner off the inside edge of her desk. Casually he stretched his long legs out and crossed one ankle over the other just as his arms crossed neatly over his chest. "I thought social avoidance was my major psychological hang-up, not yours," he teased and tugged one of her long braids.

Shrugging, Kate snatched away her hair and leaned back into her chair. A scowl painted her face as she took in his overly relaxed posture, she hated when he was less uptight than she was. "The castle seems to be a warzone where my personal life is concerned," she said and returned her gaze back to the layout. Privately she longed for the time when Ian would let her work in peace.

"Funny, I heard a few rumors concerning your life although warzones were not mentioned," said Ian. He braced his palms on her desk and with easy grace lifted himself to sit completely on the tabletop. Her frown only increased. "For instance is it true that you set a Bat Bogey Hex on Jennelyn Ward? I also heard that Stephen was cheating on you with Viola Parkinson whilst you've been snogging me senseless back behind the paper press."

Now Kate did look up with the traces of an incredulous smile on her face. "Well they're only a year and a half too late on the rumors about you and I," she muttered and the sarcasm in her voice was not to be missed.

Ian's grin only widened even more. Absently he adjusted the heavy silver

watch that he had received for this seventeenth birthday. The blue face turned towards Kate and she noted that it was almost dinnertime. "In all seriousness Kate, please tell me what's going on. I don't like knowing that you're miserable down here."

Drawing in a deep breath she felt her entire body begin to quiver as soon as she thought about the past three days of her life. Between dumping a jerk boyfriend and losing two of her closest friends she wasn't sure if she could get through the whole mess without crying. Except the one thing that Ian disliked more than all other things was crying, from anyone. "Tell me what you know is true and I'll fill in the holes," she murmured, setting her corrections quill down and pushing her work aside.

Leaning over Ian cleared the space away further and motioned her to sit next to him. As soon as they were side by side on the ledge of her desk he shrugged his shoulders. "I know you dumped Delancourt, and may I just point out that it's about damn time? I dunno if any of your other friends have said it but I think that you should hear it more than once."

Rolling her eyes she gently shoved her shoulder into his. "Continue."

"Cara told me about the letter that your father sent to Delancourt and she also told me that you and Jennelyn fought yesterday morning. Is your friendship seriously over because George chose you over her?" Ian asked.

Shaking her head, Kate began to toy with one of the braids hanging over her shoulder. "That's part of the reason, but most of it was the fact that I went behind her back. Have I told you that George and I have snogged a few times in the recent past?"

Ian's dark eyebrows flew up and as he shook his head all of his dark curls spilled across his forehead. Quickly he raked his fingers through the mess, keeping his gaze fixed on Kate. "No somehow you managed to not tell me those crucial little details. Do me a favor and start from the beginning."

Drawing in a large breath, Kate slumped further back, rounding her shoulders. There was heavy silence for a long while as she organized her thoughts. At length she launched into the entire story, beginning with the night with the boys club and rounding out to watching George leave with Gail Gilbret and her fight with Jennelyn. "So Jennelyn is angry because while I apparently should have been getting George and her together, I was snogging him instead. I can see why she's angry, it's a low move to deceive a friend that way," she murmured and sighed.

"Maybe so but that doesn't excuse the fact that Jennelyn pushed you into something you didn't want to do. There couldn't be a worse combination than one of the twins and Jennelyn. It would be like Snape dating Trelawney." The friends took a moment to share an appropriately disgusted look before Ian threw a friendly arm over her shoulder.

"Still I've managed to lose two of my best friends. One I lost because I was too blinded by the most popular boy in our year to notice our mutual feelings. The other I lost because I'm a lying tramp. To top it off I've no date to the Yule Ball and no prospects because I dumped my boyfriend and according to the rumors I should currently be snogging you."

The full effect of all of her words began to settle in and she leaned further against Ian. "Well, we could always snog if you wanted to."

"Nice try," she muttered and smiled slightly as she felt him laugh against her. It was nice in a sick way to know that someone was finding humor out of her complete mess of a situation.

"Well these are all the consequences of your decisions aren't they?" He began to say.

"Oh yes, please guilt me into feeling even worse than I already do," said Kate. "Let's just face the truth I am a manipulative, lying, whining prat. In almost every sense of the word I've become Viola Parkinson."

Ian pulled away from her and placed a firm hand on her shoulder. As he leaned back they locked eyes and he shook his head. "No," he said firmly and lifted a corner of his mouth up into a grin. "You're far more attractive than Viola."

Hitting his shoulder, Kate tried to go in and ruffle his hair but he was too strong. Holding her at arms length he shook his head. "You're not manipulative and I know you're not a liar. Sometimes you're whiny but you're seventeen I think it goes with the territory. So you made some ill directed decisions. That's nothing that can't be rectified."

"Yeah except I'm pretty sure George is going to the ball with Gail Gilbret," she muttered darkly.

"Actually he asked her this morning, so it's been officially confirmed."

Kate could tell that Ian didn't want to tell her but she needed to hear it. The confirmation was only a further testament to the fact that she was currently the school's biggest idiots if not the world's. "Great," she muttered. "Have you any idea how embarrassing it's going to be if the school's romance columnist can't get a date for the Yule Ball?" She asked. "We might as well post a giant header where my article would normally go and just say 'Kate is an idiot and has no idea what she's talking about.'"

"Well," said Ian drawing the word out. "We could waste all of our time doing that. Or you could just go to the ball with me."

Her jaw dropped open. "Come again?"

Ian turned his body so he was able to better face her. "Look we both know I hate social situations. Yet I have to make an appearance at that ball and so do you. If we go together as friends then it saves us both the trouble of having to find dates," he explained. "Besides we'll make a good looking couple."

As Kate turned the idea over in her head it began to sound better and better. Sure it would fan the fire of the rumors surrounding them but she never cared what people said about Ian and her. "I'd love to go with you," she said and smiled into his shoulder as he hugged her.

"Good, then at least that's one minor meltdown we can avoid. Don't worry about the rest we'll get it all fixed in the end."

Kate thought about having to see George enter into the Great Hall with Gail. Her stomach dropped straight into her school shoes. "I hope so," she whispered.

Ian was so relaxed next to her that Kate felt her body loosen up and she leaned further into him. His fingers tightened over her shoulder and he let his head drop onto hers. "By the way I don't think you've lost George, I think things are just weird right now."

Pulling back she shook her hair out of her face and stared up at him. "Weird, that's the best word you can come up with to describe the situation?" The corners of her mouth twitched with a smile.

"Yes, everything between you and George is all," he waved his hands around in an erratic motion that further provoked her smile. "Weird, but I don't think he's suddenly decided you aren't friends. Do yourself a favor Kate, no matter how hard it might be, swallow your pride or your misery and spend some time with your friends. Don't think about any of the drama or the past few weeks, just concentrate on having a good time."

Staring forward she mulled the idea over in her head. Ian was right; it had been ages since she'd spent any time with her friends. Unless she was in class she literally avoided the twins and as a result never saw Lee or Angelina or Alicia. Kate felt her stomach tighten and she sighed, it had been a long time since she'd spent time with Alicia. Clapping her hands together she nodded. "You're right, I'll make my best effort to be more social."

"Good, now stop dawdling we have a ton of work to do." They were both laughing as she shoved him off her desk and in his surprise he tumbled to the floor. Holding a hand out to him, Kate couldn't help but feel relieved that she was still capable of laughing so hard.

Alicia Spinnet believed people gravitated towards certain lifestyles suited to their personality. Everyone had a distinct way they preferred to go about their lives and that coincided directly with the way they acted and their beliefs. For example she thrived on organization: fitting everything into neat compartments and solving problems through rational steps that were twined neatly with emotions. Alicia was smart and she had a self-proclaimed talent for reading people. As a result she was often the 'go-to' girl for all of her friends.

So far this system had worked beautifully for her. Because she was such an organizer she was able to categorize her friends and their lifestyles, allowing her to consistently bring order to chaos. For instance Angelina was emotional and fiercely independent, combined with her concerns for public appearance, which led her to be secretive and just like a volcano; she bottled it all up till it exploded. Alicia's tried and true method for Angelina was guiding through well-placed advice, if Angelina thought she was being helped she'd bolt in the opposite direction.

Above all else Alicia loved order and balance among her friends. Fred and Angelina could continue their private romance so long as it didn't seep discontent among others nor ruin their relationship. There had yet to be a problem Alicia couldn't figure out.

That was until Kate and George had let their attraction and denial go too far. Now she felt as if she and her friends were standing in the middle of a war zone. George was forcing himself to be happy interacting with Gail Gilbret, a girl he had probably chosen simple because she was the first pretty girl he saw. Meanwhile Kate hadn't even slept in the dormitory the last three nights and the only time Alicia saw her was in class where she was looking more and more haggard by the day.

Concern for both of her friends was becoming something of a full-time occupation. Both of them had taken a complete one eighty to their typical patterns of behavior and this left Alicia at a loss. Normally George gave the atmosphere of being reckless and thoughtless in his behavior when it was normally the opposite. His close friends knew that he thought out major decisions more than most people. Kate was usually the most open human being Alicia knew, being a writer lent her a certain ability to express herself while avoiding self-censure and humiliation. Normally Alicia didn't have to pry anything out of Kate; she came to Alicia.

So why in the name of all things holy had George decided to ask a girl he barely knew to the Yule Ball and why was Kate literally in hiding from the entire world? Alicia did not like the mystery any more than she liked seeing her friends in pain, particularly Kate. Worry seemed to follow Alicia through every minute of her day, obsessing over why Kate Kelley had gone from being bubbly, assertive and sarcastic to looking like she was on the verge of 'kicking off' as Fred had recently joked.

"Stupid friends and their stupid drama," she muttered to herself as she trudged out of the library, weighed down by her bad. She had finished the last of her major assignments before the end of term exams. Alicia now had the rest of her time before exams to study and also enjoy a little bit of leisure time.

The halls were draftier than they usually were during December; this was probably owing to the heavy snow that was swirling outside the windows. Passing the tall gothic inspired glass panes revealed the dark night that closed around the castle. Feeling the sudden urge to be close to the fire with a book she picked up her pace. Maybe some time relaxing would sooth her irritation. She wasn't sure why, but hearing the news about the letter from Kate's father from Cara had made her angrier than she had been in a long time. Alicia wasn't even all that close to Cara, and yet they had been having more serious conversations in recent weeks than she cared to admit.

The ultimate fact that Alicia was probably trying to ignore was the hurt that Kate hadn't come to her. They were roommates and close friends, they talked to each other about everything from her crush on Justin Boot to her overbearing family to Kate's analysis on snogging skills to Kate's own convoluted family relationships. Yet, in the wake of what seemed the breaking point for Kate's patience Alicia had been left in the dark.

It was with a heavy sigh that she approached the portrait of the fat lady. After giving the password she climbed through the portrait hole and entered into the common room. Alicia loved the Gryffindor common room more than any other place in the castle. Everything about it was perfectly suited for comfort and she was instantly reminded of home every time she came in. Warm light filled the large geometric room and the fireplace was the heart of it all.

As she passed a group of second years sitting in a circle on the floor with their books open she trained her eyes on her destination. The twins were in the middle of telling some wild story or another in front of the fire. As usual they had managed to claim prime seating and Angelina patted an empty spot on the sofa she had occupied. Sinking down gratefully next to her friend she let her bag drop to the floor.

"Well greetings Miss Spinnet!" Fred crowed cheerfully.

"Simply smashing to see you my dear." George said dropping onto the couch next to her. Slinging an arm over her shoulder he held out a shining sweet. "Fancy a chocolate?"

Fred leaned forward with a wide grin. "Honeyduke's finest, milk with a thread of caramel and nougat, a true treasure."

Rolling her eyes she shoved George's hand away and wriggled out of his hold. "I know better than to accept anything from you," she said and gave him a friendly shove.

The twins shared an overly exaggerated expression of hurt. Clutching his hands to his chest George pretended to fall across her lap and with a hearty shove she managed to send him tumbling to the floor. Fred was howling in laughter as he helped his brother upright. While they continued on with the antics, Angelina leaned forward and pointed over Alicia's shoulder. "Would you look at that?"

The portrait hole had swung forward and Kate came into the common room. Alicia felt her irritation prickle in conjunction with the uncomfortable twist of her heart. Something more than George was bothering the girl, it looked as if she'd lost weight and there were terribly dark circles under her eyes. "Merlin's beard it looks as if she hasn't slept in days," she whispered and Angelina only nodded wide-eyed.

Kate walked up the stairs to the dormitory and Alicia wondered if she would be back down at all. To her surprise she reappeared after a few minutes, carrying an armful of books and papers with her. Like Angelina she had changed out of her school uniform. Alicia knew that the pants she was wearing were called scrubs, some muggle clothing that their doctors wore. A zip up sweatshirt covered the grey tank she wore. Quietly and almost tentatively she approached the sofa. "Do you have room for one more?" She asked.

There was no question or doubt. No matter how frustrated Alicia and Angelina were with Kate there would always be room. "Of course, sit please," she said.

Kate settled between them and looked down at her papers. Her hands were trembling over her copy of _Advanced Potion Making_ and Alicia watched as Angelina covered one with her own. "We missed you," she said softly.

Drawing in a deep breath Kate nodded and then tried her best for a smile. All of her irritation left Alicia's body as she watched the poor girl's lower lip tremble. "I'm sorry for being such an idiot. No more hiding I promise," she said and then dropped her head onto Angelina's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Alicia asked softly, giggling when Kate pulled her over to rest on her shoulder.

"No," she admitted. "But it will all work itself out," she said and sat up. "I don't want to think about any of that. Tonight I just want to work on some homework and spend time with you all."

Smiling broadly Alicia nodded and shared a relieved look with Angelina. If Kate was willing to be social then not all was lost. In fact as she opened her book the beginnings of one of her wicked smiles crossed her face. "So apparently half the school things I'm snogging Ian Haynes," she said.

Angelina rolled her eyes but laughed all the same. "I heard that this morning. Is also true that you told Stephen the reason you guys broke up is because he's not man enough for you?"

Although her laughter was a little strained, Kate was still laughing all the same. "That would have required our relationship to go that far. No I broke up with him because he wasn't right for me, that and he wrote to my father against my wishes." The traces of hurt were in her eyes but Alicia was relieved to see her openly talking about her issues.

Someone else had listened into their conversation. Fred, George and Lee had stopped their antics. "You broke up with Delancourt?" Fred's question was obnoxiously loud and Kate flushed deep pink when several other students turned around in curiosity.

Angelina shot him a severe glare and he held up his hands in apology. "Sorry, you broke up with Delancourt?" He said in a mock whisper, which caused a small smile to draw up her mouth.

Nodding she shifted everything in her lap and then pushed the waves of hair over her shoulder. "Over the weekend, yeah."

Alicia noted she was doing an excellent job of avoiding George's slack jawed gaze. She also noticed that Fred was a little more interested than he normally should have been. "Why'd you do that?" He persisted.

Kate fixed him with a sharp look. "Fred, I don't want to talk about it all right now. I just want to spend time with my friends, can we do that?"

"Of course my dear," he said unruffled by her snapping. Straightening up he tossed her a sweet. "Have a chocolate."

Grinning she eyed the candy and then opened it up. Fred was kneeling on the floor before them and she pinched the chocolate between her fingers. In a lightning fast move she trapped his head with one hand and shoved the chocolate into his. Before he could even do anything the magic took effect and with an impressive crack there was an explosion of yellow feathers and as Fred swallowed he now resembled a human canary.

Laughter erupted from the group as he fumbled for his wand and Kate shot up, hiding behind the couch for protection. "Oi Kate, I didn't know you had that in you!" Lee hollered as she dodged the jinx Fred shot at her. A poor first year behind her caught the jelly legs and tumbled to the floor.

"Well it's what Fred gets for trying to trick me!" She replied and then laughed as de-feathered Fred swept an arm around her waist and hauled her back to their group of friends.

Alicia was laughing as she watched Fred steady her. "George, be a good twin and help me achieve my retribution."

It was to everyone's immense surprise that George unwrapped another Canary Cream and took Kate's face with one gentle hand. Both of them were a rather impressive shade of pink as he gave her that patented evil grin before popping it in her mouth. Another pop of magic and more feathers floated everywhere as Kate momentarily took on the human canary persona. When Fred let her go she stumbled and fell over into a chair.

The feathers fell away and even though everyone was laughing Alicia watched George lean over to help her up. Nobody else was probably meant to hear it but George gave his hand to her. "I think we have a lot of talking to do Kate," he said.

Kate settled back next to Alicia and turned to her with a shaky but true smile. "Everything is going to be fine."

**So, we're finally rid of Jennelyn and I was really happy to write Kate as standing up to her and walking out. Originally I had planned to have Jennelyn rip her apart but I decided I liked this version much better. The conversation between George and Kate is coming up and there's one chapter until the Yule Ball! I'm hoping to include some Fred/Angelina too. **

**Reviews are love—Brose **


	16. Love and the Musician's Advice

**A/N: Greetings! I return with another installment, this the fifteenth chapter of LEBC! Personally I am really excited about this chapter, although the format is slightly different. I know everyone is used to jumping around a lot but today I wanted place my focus completely on Kate and George, it's been a while since they've interacted. On a fun side note the main draft of LEBC is over 100,000 words, I think the FF version will reach that mark within the next four chapters ^_^**

**Anyway many thanks to everyone who read but also those who took the time to review and add this story to alerts and favorites! Seriously you guys are awesome, I can't believe I'm almost at 100 reviews! **

**Disclaimer: I don't HP and you already knew that. I also do not own the Rolling Stones, or their song "You Can't Always Get What You Want," although it is one of my favorites!**

Chapter 15 Love and the Musician's Advice

Silence hung heavy in McGonagall's classroom. She walked up and down the aisles of students, keeping her eye on her class. Kate ducked her head a little lower, trying to focus on her exam sheet. Each question felt as if it were harder than the last and now she was beginning to regret letting Angelina talk her into studying in the kitchens where they got essentially nothing accomplished.

_According to Pergustus the Percipient's formula for weight to concentration ratio what amount of magical force would be required to vanish a 90-kilogram desk? _Kate's eyes drifted in and out of focus as she racked her brain to remember the formula; she knew that concentration differed between conjuring and vanishing and Pergustus' formula differed between the two. Kate even remembered studying this with Alicia two nights before, they had shared a huge bowl of popcorn in the Great Hall while they practice vanishing small objects and relating the formula to each object.

However Kate was no great whiz at Transfiguration and as she jotted down what looked like the right formula she knew she was probably wrong. In some respect she wondered how much it really mattered to her. If she dropped Transfiguration it would give her more time to devote herself to the things that actually mattered for her future. Putting the final touches on her portfolio for Finn Devlin was just an example.

Sighing she pulled herself back to the present, trying desperately to remember what she was doing as she wrote the equation and the steps out as methodic as possible. McGonagall was a huge stickler for explaining with examples and showing work, even if she got the answer wrong Kate could still hope for partial credit for at least showing her thought process.

As she moved onto the next question she absently crossed one leg over the other and tapped her foot in impatience. It seemed almost cruel that her last exam of term be Transfiguration. Why couldn't she have had Charms last? At least that was something she excelled in and would have been so stressed about. McGonagall swept by her and Kate fought the urge to send the woman dirty look. Normally Kate was just fine with the head of her house, but right now all she wanted to do was burn her exam in effigy and storm out of the classroom.

To her right Alicia was writing faster than seemed humanly possible. A spike of jealousy scratched at Kate's stomach as she wished she her friend's natural intelligence. Things like being good at school came so naturally to Alicia it was a little scary.

Kate wrote what she hoped was an acceptable answer to the origin of Pergustus' theories on proportionate size to vanishing distance and location and moved onto the backside of the last page. Only one question was on the back of the paper and she blew out a sigh of relief. "Five minutes," said Professor McGonagall and Kate trained her eyes on the question.

_Explain the importance of maintaining location concentration during non-verbal conjuring spells as explained by Professor Calvin Cojure. _At last a question she knew! Feeling slightly more at ease she jotted down the answer with as much detail as possible. Not even fifteen seconds before she set her quill down, time was called.

With a neat flick of her wand McGonagall collected all the exams and there was a general commotion as students began to gather their things. "Just a word, especially to those of you in my house. As this will be our last meeting before the Yule Ball I would like to express the importance of acting with manners and dignity." Her dark eyes swept across the room from behind her spectacles. Kate fought a grin as she watched McGonagall settle her gaze on the twins. Both of them pretended to look at her with the most innocent expressions they could muster. They were so good that if Kate didn't know any better she might believe them. "There will be representatives from the Ministry of Magic as well as other important figures in the academic society attending the Ball. I would hate to see any one of you damaging the reputation of this institution by acting like children." There was a long pause before she motioned with her hands that they were dismissed.

Clambering to her feet, Kate smoothed the pleats on her skirt out before linking arms with Alicia. The girls steered out of the classroom. "Well, there goes my plan of getting plowed before the dance," said Alicia with a grin.

Rolling her eyes Kate nudged her with her elbow. "Oh I'm sure Justin would love having to practically drag you across the dance floor. We're all still going to sit together right?" Kate asked.

Nodding Alicia smoothed her brown ponytail out and then gave her a reassuring smile. "Of course, why wouldn't we be? I think it's good that you're going with Ian, going with a friend might be less pressure."

Kate was about to respond when an arm was slung over her shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye she caught the black leather watchband. "Well hello Apocalypse One!" She said to Fred. He gave her his signature cheeky grin.

"So Miss Kelley any big plans on this the first day of break?" He asked.

Groaning she slumped her shoulders. "Yes," she muttered. "I promised Ian I would forgo the first part of the evening to finish the layout for the Christmas Eve insert with him."

Fred took on an air of extreme disappointment. "Am I going to have to tie you up in Christmas themed ribbon and kidnap you again?" He taunted and they shared a private grin. Kate still hadn't forgotten about the way he had chosen to kidnap her for Boy's Night.

"Wait until Ten rolls around, I might be sending an emergency message."

Winking he tightened his arm as they strolled into the Great Hall. "I'll plan on it." To Kate's left George was walking with Alicia and she felt her cheeks flush. "I think he's planning to talk to you this afternoon."

Startled by his piece of information, Kate turned her eyes up to Fred. "You're kidding."

Grinning he shrugged his shoulders. "I never kid Miss Kelley," he teased and earned a good-natured poke in the shoulder.

Just as they were about to take the turn to their table he caught her elbow. Arching a brow Kate stepped aside and let him lead her to a quiet place near the door. "Fred?" She questioned taking in his somewhat guilty look.

"Part of the reason why George is taking Gail is because of me," he admitted. Kate's eyebrows flew up. Crossing her arms over her chest she ignored the awful twisting of her stomach as she thought about sainted Gail Gilbret. Instead she shook her hair over her shoulders and prompted him to continue. "Before you dumped Stephen I was worried that you might have, er, strung George along too much so I told him to go for another girl."

Anger bubbled in her veins as it warred with her reason. Unfortunately she knew that yelling at Fred wasn't going to help the situation any. Although his advice certainly explained the extra distance George had been placing between Kate and himself. She'd barely exchanged three words with him since the night of the canary cream incident and she was positive he was never going to actually talk to her again, despite the fact that she'd spent more time with her friends in the last week than she had in over a month.

"You told George that I was leading him on?"

Shuffling his feet he nodded. "I didn't think you'd ever work up the guts to make a choice and ditch Stephen. He's my brother you know?"

Swallowing hard she nodded and then sighed, lifting her eyes to take in Fred's hazel gaze. "Fred you do know that I fancy your brother right?"

Rolling his eyes he nodded. "I assumed as much, but Kate will you do me a favor?" Kate could feel one of those incredibly rare moments coming on. A serious George was a rare enough occurrence but encountering serious Fred was like seeing a comet that only came around once every hundred years or so. He placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "You already know that I adore you but before you make any further decisions regarding George please make sure that it's exactly what you want."

Kate nodded, and then eyed the table, which was rapidly filling. "Enough heart to heart chat, I'm starved," she said and looped her arm through his for the remainder of their walk. By now their small section of the table was almost filled and Fred took a seat on the right side of his twin. Moving past the two Kate found that the only other available seat was on George's left side. Swallowing she set her back down and then lowered herself onto the bench next to George.

Already hear heart was sprinting in her chest as he nodded to her in acknowledgment. Across the table Lee had his arms stretched out before dropping one over the shoulders of Alicia and Angelina. Kate leaned forward, filling her plate with shepherd's pie and a roll then reaching for the butter. In the last week she'd been ravenous, as if her weeks of avoiding the Great Hall and eating whatever Ian or Cara brought her had finally caught up. Thankfully none of her friends said a word and Kate was confident she'd eaten enough to fit back into her dress which had been too big much to her horror a few days ago.

"So what's the game plan for the evening?" Angelina asked, filling her goblet with juice. Grumbling Kate tried to search out Ian in the Great Hall to give him a scathing look, she was seriously regretting her decision to work tonight.

Fred and George shared an identical grin with each other before looking straight at Lee. "Forget the usual have a drink in the common room or kitchens bit," said Fred.

"It's gotten stale and we've devised something better." George finished and Lee straightened up.

"Instead of just the boys sneaking out to Hogsmeade we've decided all of us are." Lee announced. Kate's lips arced into a delicate smile as she watched the blood drain from Alicia's face and rush into Angelina's.

Both girls shared a look across Lee's chest before turning back to face the twins. "You're barmy," said Alicia, a faint grin toying at her lips. Overhead owls were beginning to soar into the Great Hall; Kate watched them absently as she half listened to her friends arguing over whether or not they were going to sneak out of the castle.

"You'd do it right Kate?" Lee's voice pulled her out of her reverie.

"Do what?"

Fred reached behind George and lightly tapped her head. "Do the mamba wearing nothing but McGonagall's green hat, sneak out to Hogsmeade of course!" He teased her. Rolling her eyes Kate pushed away her plate.

"Course I would," she said. George leaned over and slung an arm over her shoulder.

"Now that is dedication to the ideals of being young, alive."

"And incredibly stupid," said Kate finishing for him. The contact seemed so foreign and at the same time incredibly comfortable. George was laughing with the rest of them when shouting drew their attention away.

A few first years were all standing on either side of the table just a few paces away from them. One of them was a Slytherin, his green and grey tie hanging out of his sweater. Arching a brow Kate leaned forward to see what was going on. "You looked off my exam paper that's what you did!" A young Gryffindor shouted.

"You don't have any proof," said the Slytherin. There was an unpleasant sneer on his face and George's arm slackened off her shoulder.

Frowning, Kate felt sorry for the poor boy. She could remember days when cheating was considered a serious offense. "Remember when exams were that important?" She asked, turning her eyes to George.

A grin stretched across his face and he shrugged. "I dunno if they were ever important but I do recall the first time you caught me cheating off you in Potions class." The corners of Kate's mouth twitched with a smile and she felt the lines of her shoulders relax as they ignored the shouting match going on between the first years. "For a while there I was convinced you were going to tell Snape."

Her face screwed up in mock horror as she placed a hand over her chest. "And subject you to his wrath? I would have feared for your life," she teased and he chuckled.

"What's the worst he could do?" Fred piped in leaning around George.

"There are a million things," she said off handedly. "Pickle newts bare handed, scrub cauldrons with no magic, make you run your fingers through his hair." Both the twins put their forks down on their plates in unison. Fred was smirking as George's face twisted into an expression of absolute disgust.

Pretending to be completely unphased by the suggestion Kate smooth the pleats on her skirt, inspecting her fingernails as she did so. "That's truly barbaric," said George. "Plus I was eating and you've managed to completely ruin my appetite."

Chuckling she patted his shoulder in false sympathy. "On the bright side you know you'll fit into your robes for the Yule Ball." As soon as the words left her mouth she knew she'd touched on a chord that completely ruined their brief moment of light hearted humor. Biting back a sigh she returned to her lunch and privately wondered if anything would ever be normal between them again.

"Still," said George, glancing off the comment. "I'm glad you didn't tell Snape, and let me continue to cheat on you."

Her eyes were still trained on her plate as she smiled sadly. "You know I'd do just about anything for you George," she replied just as the argument between the first years got out of hand.

The Slytherin boy had both his hands on the tabletop leaning forward with a cruel look in his eyes. Unfortunately the Gryffindor didn't look much better either as he rolled up his sleeves, an ugly look across his freckled face. Both the boys were staring at each other with the utmost loathing. "You're just jealous that you aren't going to do as well as I am. Besides even if I were to cheat I wouldn't ever look off the paper of some stupid Gryffindor."

Wands were whipped out and the boys held them up with stiff arms. Kate bit her lip as she watched the boys stare each other down. Next to her she could practically feel George tense up and she only heard the first word out of his mouth before the Slytherin boy waved his wand. A rattling boom filled the Great Hall and objects on the table went flying. Before Kate could even react a strong arm came over her, pulling her down and off the bench.

"Come on," said George and she let him pull her out of the Great Hall, following his brother and several other students who were clearing out of the Hall. Billows of cream-colored smoke were issuing from the hall and she coughed over the unpleasant smell. Soon students were pouring out into the entryway shouting about what had happened. George's arm was still around her as he pulled her away.

He led her down the hallway to the first floor; it opened into a huge opening containing several paintings and a large spiral staircase. They were quiet for a while as they started up the stairs. Just as she hitched her bag higher on her shoulder he reached out and took the strap, relieving her of the burden. "Thank you," she said, unsure of what to do. They hadn't been alone since the night of the first task.

"If I ask you a question will you tell me the truth?" George asked. Before them the landing of the stair contained an arched doorway. Together they passed through the doorway and into a large atrium. Five massive arched windows lined a wall and there were several sofas and deep chairs arranged to look out over the Black Lake. Kate looked through the paned glass to see the Durmstrang ship bobbing like a cork in the heavy waters.

"Of course," she said softly. "I've always been honest with you."

Out of the corner of her eye she could see George leaning against the wall next to the window's edge. "Why did you break up with Stephen?"

Her eyes swept past the Black Lake to the trees of the Forbidden Forest. Kate had never actually been in the forest, just near the edge during Care of Magical Creatures class. She had heard stories from the twins about things they had found during their adventures with Lee. Rumors about Harry Potter had often involved the forest, but to her it had always been ominous territory, some place where it was too easy to get lost. Sighing she gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. "Lots of reasons. One of them was that he wrote to my dad after I asked him to let it alone," she admitted.

George sucked in a breath and her sharp eyes turned to him. "I didn't know that," he said and she could see in his expression that he was just surprised that he didn't even know. "When?"

Turning away from the window she walked over to a large couch and sat down, tucking her legs beneath her. George sat down next to her and she found herself examining his features. Against the background of the windows she could see how the winter months had darkened his hair, it was getting longer than he usually kept it. She took her time and explained the entire situation, all about Stephen's letter and her father's response. In truth she couldn't have asked for a better bridge into the whole mess.

"Your father really said that?" George asked, sitting back deeper into his spot when she finished. Nodding she sighed and propped an elbow along the back of the sofa. She toyed with the intricate woodcarving that was covered by a thick cushion.

"No hope of reconciliation," she said and felt a stab of pain mixed with guilt and regret. Part of this situation with her dad was truly all her fault. Perhaps if they both hadn't lost their tempers so badly she wouldn't have packed up and moved out. "It's not as if I didn't already know but the confirmation made it too concrete for me."

Whistling George nodded. "Still it seems a bit harsh. Have you written to him?" He asked.

Shaking her head she gave him a sad smile. "What would I say?" The mere prospect of writing a letter to her father terrified her more than she cared to admit. What if he rejected any peace offering she had? It was even possible that he would just ignore the letter and continue their estrangement. Kate wasn't sure she could handle such a harsh blow.

"The truth, that you're sorry about Stephen's involvement in the situation but that you hope everything is well. Maybe it would be good to see him and talk again. You can't go on forever pretending as if nothing happened or that he doesn't exist."

Grimacing, Kate picked a few bare threads in the sofa's upholstery. "I don't see why not," she grumbled and then heard his light laughter. Looking up she felt a genuine smile take her features.

"I think you need to write to him, it would help give you closure regardless of what he says. I hear that women are always looking for closure in relationships gone badly. Apparently it has something to do with always knowing they're right." George waved his hands about as he talked, indicating his lack of seriousness. Her smile turned into laughter and she didn't even flinch when he placed a warm hand on her forearm.

"I miss this," she admitted and her stormy eyes were warm in the light of his hazel stare. For the first time in ages George's smile went all the way up to those eyes, peering from beneath the sweep of his hair. Every detail further endeared him to her, from his messily tied tie and the way his smile was just slightly crooked. His fingers were warm over her arm and his absently his thumb rubbed reassuring circles over her skin.

"So do I," he said and then heaved a sigh.

Although she knew what she was about to say next would ruin the moment she knew it had to be done. "The letter to my father isn't just why I broke up with Stephen," she admitted.

Shrugging, George gave her an encouraging nod. "I figured as much," he said.

"A bigger part of it was because of you," she said and then let her eyes wander to anything but George's face.

"Why?" As she suspected there was zero surprise in his voice. Rather there was a trace of something positive, mixed in with the neutral tone she'd been praying to avoid. Kate disliked George when he was upset or acting in any other fashion aside from himself.

"I think you know why," she muttered.

He shifted his body so it was closer than before. "I want to hear it," he pressed.

Kate realized that even if he was taking another girl to the Yule Ball and it seemed pointless to try, he did deserve this one thing. "Because I fancy you," she said and blew out a sigh. "Don't go acting surprised, you knew it long before I did," she chided taking in his wide eyes and slightly open mouth.

With a quick shake of his head George regained his composure and let his hand slide down her arm. The simple gesture of his hand covering hers filled her with warmth that radiated out to her fingers and toes. Absently he toyed with her fingers, but despite the wonderful feel of the touch his expression was faraway. "I know," he said. "I wished you had figured it out back when I first knew in September."

Sighing she moved her fingers to twine a bit with his. George's thumb rubbed back and forth over the skin on the back of her hand. "I was a bit of an idiot."

"Just a bit?" He asked and beneath the playful lilt in his voice Kate could sense the irritation that had building up against her. Not that she could blame him, after what she'd done Kate probably deserved yelling.

Leaning back she felt the cold flush her body as he pulled his hand away. "I was just so confused by everything. You're one of my best friends and I never saw you that way before, then Stephen suddenly comes out of nowhere and I let it turn into a huge mess," she admitted.

Outside the snow was beginning to come down harder than ever. Swirls brushed past the windows and the sky was beginning to darken as night approached. Kate knew that Ian was probably already looking for her to get started on the Christmas Eve layout. "You led me on," said George softly.

Her stomach dropped out at the words. "Yes," she said. "I did and I want you to know how sorry I am for doing that. But it wasn't all one sided," she added and crossed her arms uncomfortably over her chest. When George said nothing she bit her lip in irritation before plowing on. "You knew that I was dating Stephen and you still snogged the daylights out of me in the common room. I told you I was with him and still your pursued me. I don't like to consider myself the cheating type George."

Shrugging he gave her a small grin. "Still, you kissed me first which provided the incentive."

"I know," she groaned covering her face with her hands. "I wish there was a way I could make all of this right."

George's gentle fingers pried her hands away. "Do you still fancy me?" He asked.

They were closer than they had been in ages. Her eyes were wide enough to take in every freckle and detail of his handsome face. Inhaling, she felt herself tumble in a dizzy spiral; George always seemed to smell so incredible, a perfect mix of fresh soap, cologne and something warm and reassuring, something uniquely George. "Yes I do," she said softly and tried to focus on him.

George leaned forward and pressed his lips to her cheek. "More than fancy me? Because as much as I love you a simple whim isn't enough."

Her mouth opened slightly and then she shut it. "I think so," she whispered. Just as they were closing in a voice interrupted her train of thought.

"Oh there you are! Merlin's beard sorry Kate!" It was Marla, a member of the paper staff. "Ian sent me to find you, he says he wants you in the News Dungeon as soon as possible." The girl's cheeks were bright pink as she turned and hurried away, but the damage was done.

"I learned my lessons just like you did," said George. "No more pushing, if this is what you want then you'll find the right way to let me know. Now go on and make sure that Haynes isn't hyperventilating without you." As they went their separate ways Kate stopped and turned to watch him walk away.

A feeling that she'd never felt before swept over her. Her entire body revolted against the sensation of watching him walk away yet again. Air seemed trapped in her lungs as she tried to wrap her mind around the thought that she might actually lose him not just as a potential boyfriend but also as her best friend. Placing a palm over her chest she felt the cracks on her heart deepen and understanding crashed through the barriers she'd put up in her mind.

Kate was head over heels, out of her mind in love with George Weasley. Turning on heel she marched towards the News Dungeon with new purpose. Maybe it was going to take a few extra days to get the delivery down perfect but she knew exactly how she was going to tell him.

The morning before Christmas Eve dawned bright, sun falling over the fresh blanket of snow that frosted the school grounds. Kate was wearing her favorite jeans and a thick sweater as she hurried down the drafty halls towards the News Dungeon. Her hair hung over her shoulder in a messy side-braid, still wet from her early shower. Stifling a yawn she made a mental note to hit Ian upside the head for sending her an owl to wake her up at eight in the morning during break. "Idiot," she grumbled to herself.

Still she was up and moving, desperate to see what his feedback on her article was going to be. Not that it mattered much to her what he thought, she was still going to run it regardless of what he said. This was the one time where Ian's opinion mattered about as much as most people's, which was to say not at all.

Suppressing a shiver she passed down the cold staircase and into the frigid dungeon halls. Hopefully Ian had come to his bloody senses and had a fire going in all three of the large fireplaces that were placed in the News Dungeon. Shuffling her feet as fast as possible she finally found herself in front of the scroll. "Kate Kelley, writer," she said and the glass vanished just as the scroll rolled up.

Warmth wrapped around her like a blanket, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Her tense muscles loosened from their walk in the brisk cold and she felt each step further relax her body. Ian was sitting at the high table where the layout was spread all around him. Even though Kate knew her heart belonged to George she still couldn't help but admire the way that Ian wore muggle clothes so well. The sleeves of his light grey sweater were pushed up over his forearms and she could see the scuffed up toes of his favored vintage trainers. "Good morning, please tell me there's tea somewhere," she said through a yawn.

Ian's eyes flickered briefly from her to the parchment he was reading. Instantly she recognized the pensive expression his face. Coming over to the table she leaned against the opposite side and reached for the kettle sitting on a nearby potholder. While she busied herself with tea he continued to read what she could only assume was her article. At long last she was cradling the cup between her hands when he laid down the page. "So?" She asked.

His poker face slowly filled with color and his mouth turned up at the corners. A smile out of Ian was always a good sign. "It's unconventional, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Very honest and I enjoyed seeing your human side. We're running it whether you've changed your mind or not," he said.

A wide smile took her features as she reached out to see the article clean of any of his usual notes. "I want you to run it. You have to run it."

"Personally I think he's a goner after this comes out tomorrow."

_Love and the Empty Broom Closet_

_By Kate Kelley_

_A Personal Lesson in Love_

_ A famous muggle musician once wrote that "You can't always get what you want," and in my life I have found this to be unequivocally true. Sometimes no matter how hard you try or how much you think you want something, it just won't work out for you. Certain concepts and objects may always be out of our reach, be it elusive perfect grades, the right connections to the best job or even the so called 'wizard of your dreams.' I have found that in some cases the harder I want something to work out, the worse the outcome is. _

_ Recently I have been agonizing over a small snag in this musical theory. How can you even come close to achieving your wants if you don't even know what you want? A slight error the initial framework can lead to disastrous consequences as I have come to discover. In order to understand how to achieve the things you want in life it is of the utmost importance to know exactly what you want. This concept is particularly true when it comes to the world of love. As I have recently learned, dating someone simply because everyone else thinks it is a good idea is potentially one of the worst mistakes anyone could make. In dating it ultimately doesn't matter what everyone else wants for you, it has to matter what you want. And take it from a girl who learned the hard way, the more sure you are the better. _

_ As a rule I have kept the lives of my friends and my own life experiences separate from this column. I have felt able to discuss all matters romance without getting attached. Unfortunately romance depends entirely upon attachment and in order for me to give any kind of authority to my writing I need you, the readers, to know that I do write from experience. I am learning my way through love at the same time as all of you are and for me, the most important lesson I have learned is the one I am about to impart. For weeks I have duped myself into believing that I wanted something so radically outside of my frame of mind that it blinded me to the simpler and easier truth. Who I actually wanted had been sitting next to me at breakfast for six years, and helping me with my potions homework. This person has been unfailingly kind and supportive in all regards, even if his unique brand of humor masks this caring. Yet, because of my hesitancy over ruining our friendship I turned away from the incredibly blatant fact that I love him. _

_ Yes, even romance columnists are suspect to falling in love, outlandish, as that seems. Still I am writing this column as a way to prostrate myself upon the altar of love regardless of how humiliating it may seem to others. To me, it is a necessary step in order to achieve what I am looking for. How can I get close to the person I want if he has no true idea that I am without doubt, completely and totally, idiotically in love with him? Even if I discovered my feelings late in the game it doesn't dismiss their existence and watching him walk away was the worst feeling I have ever had. So to the object of my affections, please understand this: I will not give up until I have it through your head that I want you, and only you. _

_ Even if I can't get exactly what I want, which is to be with my best friend, then I hope that I can learn from my mistakes and work towards a different end. I have come to understand that knowing what I want and getting what I want aren't the same thing, but it's closer than nothing; after all the same muggle musician wrote that "if you try sometimes, you'll find you get what you need," and having you in my life regardless of status is exactly what I need. _

**This chapter marks the turning point for the story; Kate and George are finally on the same page! Next chapter will be the Yule Ball and as a heads up to any sticklers for canon I will be taking one tiny element from the films regarding the design of dress robes as well as the use of actual evening gowns. I will post a link for Kate's dress on my profile when that chapter goes up! **

**Reviews are love—Brose**


	17. Love and the Unfinished Letter

**A/N: greetings from Brose-land! Sorry about the delay in update, I have been spending the mass majority of my time alternating between working and studying for the LSAT. That test is over and done with and now I have some free time to focus on writing and enjoying what little free time I have. **

**Anywho this is a bit of a slow and short chapter, but stick with it…the next one is worth the wait! This is just a little bit of a set up for things to come. As always thanks for all of the wonderful reviews and also for everyone who has alerted and favorited this story, it always makes my day to get those reviews!**

**Disclaimer: You know what's mine and what's not. **

Chapter 16 Love and the Unfinished Letter

Thick clouds cast a dim glow from the ceiling of the Great Hall as George walked in. Yawning he stretched his arms over his head and turned toward the Gryffindor table. At eight thirty in the morning there was hardly a soul and he couldn't blame his schoolmates for sleeping in. If George hadn't had so much on his mind he would probably be out cold until at least ten if not later.

Sighing he slumped down at the table and reached for the nearest pitcher of liquid and poured a generous measure of milk into his goblet. A small selection of delicate pastries were arranged on a plate before him and he reached for one filled with what looked to be cinnamon apple. As a rule George didn't eat much sweet food, his taste tended to lay in saltier delicacies. However he was currently going through a crisis of romance and if girls felt better after eating sweet food then maybe there was something to their madness. So he took a bite and savored the combination of butter, apple, cinnamon and a hint of almond.

Leaning deeper against the table he contemplated everything he was going to need for the next night. His dress robes were hanging from the rail of his four-poster bed, he had even taken care to make sure they were nicely pressed. Fred, Lee and himself had made a late night Hogsmeade trip and came back with more liquor than he was sure they would ever need and Fred had already coordinated the food runs from the kitchen up to the Gryffindor common room where the after party was to take place. Gail had confirmed that they were meeting in the Great Hall just before the entrance of the champions and told him she'd be wearing pink.

A shadow of a scowl crossed George's face. Although he wasn't against the color pink as a whole, he also wasn't terribly of an excess of the color. Privately he hoped that Gail would be wearing a tasteful color and nothing that was too pale or too shocking. Absently his mind wandered to question what Kate would be wearing. Rounding his shoulders in slight defeat he slumped even further down on the table. Knowing Kate she was bound to show up in something spectacular, just to further rub in his monumental mistake of not waiting another four bloody days to ask someone. Maybe if he hadn't talked himself into thinking she didn't care they would be going together.

Instead he was going with Gail. The frown on his face increased as the guilt began poking around in his mind. He knew he was being terribly unfair, Gail was a very nice girl and he was positive she was going to be an excellent date. It was up to him to return the favor to her even if he knew that he was still in love with Kate.

Swallowing the last bite of his pastry he stared at the crumbs on his plate and allowed his frown to morph into a grimace. Nothing about that eating experience had made him feel any better. "What a load of rubbish," he muttered.

"What's rubbish?" A clear voice asked from behind him.

Turning around he was surprised to find Kate standing behind him. All of her hair was pulled away from her face and he could see that she had already painted her fingernails a dark plum color. Her arms were wrapped around a thick stack of papers and there was an adorable half smile on her face. "Nothing, what are you doing awake so early?" He asked and she shifted her weight.

"Delivering the Christmas Eve insert to the Gryffindor dorms before spending the day with Alicia and Angelina. We're going to do girly things, paint our toes and curl our hair. We might even talk about what celebrities we fancy and," he held up a hand to stop her. The amused smile on her face was trembling slightly and George wondered what was wrong. "Why are you awake so early?"

Wiping his hands over his face George noted that he was in desperate need of a good shave. "Couldn't sleep," he admitted. "I guess I've had a lot on my mind."

Kate adjusted her hold on her issues and managed to shake her long hair over her shoulder. "Well maybe you'll have time to take a nap this afternoon, are you looking forward to tomorrow night?" She asked and bit her lip. His eyebrow flew up, Kate's one and only consistent nervous habit was biting her lip.

"I suppose, you're going with Haynes so that should be alright."

"Yeah, I definitely don't have to worry about much there," she joked and then smiled. "I hope we get to see each other tomorrow night." She shifted her weight again, furthering her balancing act. The movement drew his eyes to her hips for a few brief seconds. Swallowing he looked up to her searching eyes.

"Of course you're going to see me," he said and gave her what he hoped was his best reassuring grin. George wasn't used to doing reassuring, in fact he was used to doing the unnerving, not the other way around. Was this what nervous second year girls felt like every time they watched Potter or Diggory strut by? Suppressing a shudder he tried to focus on the grin.

Whatever he had attempted the effect seemed to work as a relieved smile took her pretty face. "Good, it should be a trip that's for sure."

Chuckling he began to load his plate up with real food. "I'm sure you're curious to see who's going to get caught in what bush or broom cupboard," he teased and she flushed a delicate pink.

"Contrary to popular belief my life doesn't completely revolve around what I'm going to write every other week." Waving his hand in a jokingly dismissive manner he shook his head.

"No of course not, you have other concerns too. Not failing transfiguration and keeping Ian Haynes from working you to death are of equal importance too I'm sure." Her laughter only slightly masked her groan and he wondered whether it was directed at McGonagall or at Haynes. Some rather nasty part of him was hoping it was toward Ian even though he knew they were strictly just friends.

Reaching to the top of her stack, she balanced the issues in one arm and extracted the top copy. Handing it to him, he noted her hand was shaking. "One way or another," she began cryptically. "Try to save me a dance."

Without giving him a chance to she turned and walked away, moving faster than she usually did. Arching a brow he wondered what had gotten into her. Sighing he dug his fork into his fried eggs and flipped open the insert to her column. Angelina walked in just in time to see his jaw drop and his hand miss his goblet, sending milk in all directions on the table.

Heavy silence fell in the News Dungeon as the dim light from the overhead candelabras cast shadows over the room's sole occupant. Shadows flickered and gave the steel grey color of her dress a silvery sheen. A quill was perched between her fingers and absently she lifted her free hand to pat the carefully pinned waves that swept across her forehead to be held in a simple knot in the back of her neck.

Kate blew out sigh and shut her lined eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. "It shouldn't be this hard," she muttered to herself and to release her nervous energy she rose to her feet and walked a few paces away from her desk.

All of her friends were all probably still getting ready in Gryffindor or drinking wine in the boy's dorm room. Kate had promised to meet Ian in the Dungeon so they could walk in together. So, instead of celebrating with her year mates like she would have normally done, she took her personal stationary to sit down and follow through with George's advice. However she noted as she adjusted the straps on her gown, writing to her father was turning out to be a far more difficult task than she anticipated. Thus far all she had achieved in committing to the parchment was 'I'm sorry for any inconvenience Stephen Delancourt caused you.' Even in her head it sounded pathetically formal and she didn't want to be formal with her father. Kate just wanted to be herself.

Walking across to the calendars she paused by the mirror that was hung near the social calendar. Inspecting her reflection she gave a small half smile. Despite her usually scattered appearance, Kate could clean up well when she waned to. Tonight was no exception as she further adjusted her muggle gown. The upper bodice cut across her chest in a wide v-neck, embroidered with small pearls and crystals. An empire waist cut just beneath her bust and the gauzy skirts fell straight to the floor, swishing out and around her with each move. Wide straps came over her shoulder before dropping to her midback. Sighing she examined the last touches of her makeup and found herself staring straight into her own eyes.

Everyone had always marveled at how much Kate looked like her mother. Renata Kelley had been considered a classic beauty with champagne blonde hair and stunning blue eyes. Kate understood it as a huge compliment when she was told she looked like her mother, except for her eyes. Steely grey was a color she had received directly from her father, and was a color she had always associated with cold and unforgiving. All of her memories of her father were from after her mother died; she had no idea how much he had changed.

Sighing she turned away from the mirror, still contemplative on her eyes. It certainly wasn't the only trait she inherited from her father. Clearly her stubborn streak was showing itself as she cast an upset glare at the unfinished letter. As she often did, Kate privately wished she still had her mother; someone who could give her real advice on how to handle her father. Returning to the desk she sat down and stared pensive at the parchment before crumbling it up and leaving it on her desk. Just as she turned back in her chair the scroll slipped up and a shadow cast in the doorway.

Ian strolled into the News Dungeon, one hand casually in the pocket of his black trousers. Sitting up straighter Kate watched him walk in and she whistled. His dark curls were shining as they fell across his forehead with casual elegance. A single eyebrow slipped up his forehead and his green eyes sparked in amusement as her own gaze dropped down his frame. The muggle tuxedo he wore cut a sharp form over his slender frame, and she noted his slightly crooked straight tie. All in all the effect was complete; Ian was devastatingly handsome.

"You clean up well," she complimented and rose from her chair. A blush took her cheeks as Ian took his turn to evaluate his date. Coming to stand directly before her, Ian leaned down and pressed soft kiss to the corner of her mouth.

"Kate you look beautiful, truly," he paused and swallowed. "Truly stunning."

Shrugging her shoulders, Kate tried to not look so pleased and she patted down the skirts of her dress. "Thank you," she said and smiled up at him.

Chuckling he produced his wand and with a pronounced flourish produced beautiful ivory flower. "I figured I would skip traditional," he murmured and stepped behind her. Kate stood still as he fixed the bloom into her hair.

"Thanks for the pashmina," she said with a wicked grin on her face. "I didn't know that you had such refined taste in fashion. Also it goes beautifully with the trashy romance novels you included." Ian tossed his arm back in laugher and offered his arm to her.

"The pashmina or whatever you call it was all Cara's idea and you know it. I was afraid if I got you anything related to the physical art of writing you'd pin me up to the wall with the quills and leave me there. The romance novels were just to give you something to read that isn't an editorial or my notes." He explained as she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and they left the Dungeon. Kate cast a single look over her shoulder at the abandoned stationary. "Don't worry, we'll find time to find the right thing to say," said Ian softly.

Surprised she looked up to catch his grin. "How did you know that's what I was doing?"

They strolled down the hallway towards the stair that would lead them to the first floor. "Friendly intuition, by the way I have to say the set of quills you gave me are far above anything I deserve for the torture I put you through every week. At least I thought that until I opened the muggle manual you gave me on overcoming my fears of social situations." It was Kate's turn to laugh. Grinning he kept his eyes trained ahead but nudged her gently with his elbow. "Happy Christmas."

The staircase was before them and she paused looking at him. "You know we could always sneak to the kitchens instead. Grab a bottle or four of wine and get smashed in the Dungeon." Kate knew it was a very tempting prospect for Ian and she was surprised when instead he took her arm back and began to lead her up the stairs.

"I put this stupid suit on for a reason and you're too beautiful to not show off. Besides you can't write an article of that magnitude and not follow through with it." Kate felt her stomach sink. All day she'd been hoping that George was going to come talk to her about the article and all day she'd seen no evidence that he even remembered she existed.

They were now on the landing of the stair leading into the entrance to the Great Hall. Pausing she shot him a look before taking a deep breathe. "Alright, let's go," she said with a faint smile.

Reaching up with his free hand George tugged at the tie he was wearing. Carefully he loosened the knot just a touch, freeing the collar of his dress shirt enough that he could breathe properly. His other hand was curled around a glass of pumpkin juice and he was privately wishing that he had grabbed the flask that Fred had left sitting out on the dresser. Perhaps then he would be able to focus on his date and not stare openly at Kate Kelley from across the Great Hall.

Gail had in fact worn a very lovely shade of pink, the floaty dress robes fit very nice on her frame. All of her dark hair was expertly curled around her face in a style that George was positive had taken absolute ages. Even her nails were painted a coordinating shade and her makeup was very fetching. In fact, compared to many of the couples he'd seen, he was certain they were among the better-looking ones. She was smiling and chatting and kept her arm looped through his, casual enough to be just friends but still a little too close for his liking.

_I want you and only you._

Words from Kate's article echoed in his mind once more. Even now George could still see the print stretching down the narrow strip that housed her column. The surprise he felt was still coursing his veins as he thought about her gesture, it was bigger than he'd ever thought. When she'd made a joke about prostrating herself on the altar of love Kate hadn't been kidding. Short of using his name she had declared her love for him. That was not something he could so lightly ignore, nor could he so easily address. At least not in front of a crowd.

Still it grated at his nerves in a new way as he watched her lean into Ian Haynes who had a too-casual hand on the small of her back. George understood they were best friends but he didn't see how any bloke could be a only friend with Kate when she was wearing that dress. Seeing her tonight was going to be difficult enough but that dress had been an unexpected turn of events. Although he didn't know why, it wasn't as if she was going to show up wearing a potato sack.

Maybe he was reacting to the way the neckline cut a wide v across her chest, or how the top part was beaded, and steel grey skirts flowed like water from just beneath her breasts to the floor. Trying to hide his more male driven smirk he was sure it was in part to do with the fact that he was seeing more of her skin than he'd ever seen before and that included the fact that the back dropped to her mid back.

Gail had just finished a small discourse on her remaining break plans and was now asking George about his and Fred's business. Tearing his eyes away from Kate just as she was laughing at something Justin Boot had said, he brought his attention back to Gail. If his mother had taught him anything important it was to respect girls, and ignoring his own date to ogle at another girl was not considered respectful behavior.

"It's going good, we're working on some new things. A line of sweets designed to elicit unusual emotional responses is out latest project. Right now Fred want so experiment with cheering charms and various emotional enhancing potions." Luckily business was the one arena where he could forget about what Kate had said to him yesterday morning when she'd handed him a copy of the insert.

_Be sure to save me a dance_.

Swallowing he listened politely to Gail's question about how they tested their products. "Fred and I test on each other mostly. I always try to get Fred to do all the dangerous stuff because it would be a waste to mar this gorgeous face, plus I got all the brain cells anyway." A lovely smile took her delicate features and she laughed lightly at his comment. Flicking his eyes to his left he noted that his brother and Angelina were walking in with Katie and Lee, just now arriving in the Great Hall from the common room. He had gone down early to meet Gail and to stake out a table for their group.

"Oi there you are!" Fred's voice boomed over the other conversations. Thankful to have backup, George gratefully led Gail to the halfway point between their groups. Silently he took in the deep red dress Angelina wore, the sleeveless gown clinging to her like a second skin in all the right places.

"Oh Angelina you look gorgeous!" Gail gushed and let go of George to engage Katie and Angelina in conversation. Giving a brief glance over his shoulder George ensured that the three were in happy conversation when he turned to his brother.

Fred however was not waiting for him; he was instead looking in the direction of where Alicia and Justin stood with Kate and Ian. "Merlin's beard," he mused. "And to think she's in love with you."

Lee chuckled and nudged George's shoulder. "What an idiot."

Giving him a weak smile George nodded. "No kidding."

"What I find hard to believe is that you've read the article where she basically said she wants to be with you, shag you and have your bloody children; then she shows up on the arm of her platonic best friend wearing that dress and you haven't drug her to some closet to snog her absolutely senseless." Fred ranted and raked his fingers through his slightly mussed look that George was positive had taken longer to create than was humanly necessary.

Still his twin was making an excellent point, what on earth had he been waiting for?

_Having you in my life…is what I need._

"Bollocks this is an absolute mess isn't it?" He muttered and earned the laughter of his friends.

"You know there is one way to fix this," said Fred.

Narrowing his eyes, George looked at him warily. "No, I don't know if I want to take your advice given that I could be here with Kate and instead I came with someone else, he explained dropping his voice to a lower level. Rolling his eyes Fred reached over and took the knot of his tie, pulling it up to an uncomfortable level. Coughing, George spluttered as he loosened it back out so he could take a deep breath.

"You two are on the same page, you love her, she loves you and she's wearing that dress. I have a girlfriend but I'm not dead, if you don't do something you're going to completely blow it and lose your chance." Lee nodded sagely in conjunction to Fred's words just as the girls reapproached. Gail smiled sweetly up at him and George smiled back.

Kate or not he still wasn't going to be a bad date.

Music started up, signaling that it was time to sit. Leading the way, his group went to their table and seated themselves. Without trying to appear to be too obvious he searched around, looking for the table Kate would be sitting at with Alicia, Justin, Ian and some other Ravenclaws. At last he found them just a few tables away. A pair of steel grey eyes had found his sitting beneath a sweep of champagne hair. Kate's mouth rounded into a delicate O and she slightly flushed before breaking eye contact. Under the table Fred gave him a swift kick.

_Save me a dance._

Determination flooded him and he clenched his fingers around his menu. They would have a dance before the night was over and if all went well a good snog too.

**So yes, a bit of a short chapter. The Yule Ball continues next chapter, there's so much that I wanted to put into it that I had to split the material into two! Next chapter is in progress and trust me it will be worth the wait! **

**Remember, reviews are love! Much love-Brose**


	18. Love and the Surprise Snog

**A/N: It's here! I don't really think anything else needs to be said!**

**Many thanks for the reviews the story broke 100 (!), alerts and favorites. All I'm saying is if you were going to review ever…this would be a lovely chapter to do so!**

**Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, what isn't…isn't yadda yadda yadda**

Chapter 17: Love and the Surprise Snog

George's fingers curled around her waist and he inhaled the scent of her sweet perfume. He felt the brush of her soft hair as she let her head rest against his shoulder. Their bodies were close, closer than he'd expected and he felt a strange anxiety in the pit of his stomach. This wasn't how he had planned for things to turn out.

Still they swayed along to the music of the slow song and he felt the vibrations of her body as she hummed to the music. George didn't even know the Weird Sisters played slow songs and he almost silently cursed them for it. She was a small girl, almost too small to fit comfortably in his grip. Yet for the sake of courtesy and propriety he kept at it and continued to dance.

Discontent pooled in his stomach as he looked over Gail's body and almost directly across the dance floor. George would have sworn on all the money he'd managed to save for the business that Ian Haynes was purposely flaunting Kate in front of him. Why else would he be wrapped so tightly around her that it was almost impossible to discern Kate from Ian? Frowning he spun Gail out, tightening his grip on her hand so she wouldn't fly away. A delicate giggle came from her lips and he fought the urge to scowl.

If he'd spun Kate out like that she would have laughed before coming back in and throwing her arms about his neck. Instead Gail let him pull her in and she hesitated before touching him again but when she did it was to cuddle in, not hit him upside the back of the head the way Kate would have. Kate, Kate, Kate; her name resonated over and over in his head as he allowed Gail to lead their dancing in a circle. George was now facing the opposite direction from her but the image of that dress was burned into the back of his mind.

As the rounded on their awkward turn George's eyes immediately darted to where Ian was muttering something in her ear. Kate's eyes took in her dance partner and her mouth arced up in a beautiful smile. Jealousy and irritation swelled in George's veins, she belonged in his arms and she should have been laughing at what he was saying. Kate should certainly not be hanging on the end of Ian's every sodding word. It was bad enough that George hadn't managed to even say a word to her yet; he had not been able to claim his dance.

Since yesterday afternoon he had been pouring over in his mind what she had said before handing him the article. Kate wanted him to save her a dance and that dance would absolutely clench everything and he knew it. Short of using his name Kate had proclaimed her love for him in the paper and now she needed an affirmation that her gutsy move would have a nice payoff. Yet it seemed every time he would round on an opportunity to steal her away there was something in the way. The fact that both of them had attentive dates did not improve his chances any. Nor did the fact that Ludo Bagman was skulking around and he had already seen the maniacal expression on Fred's face.

Trying to find Kate and avoid Fred was perhaps the impossible task of his evening.

"George are you alright?" Gail's voice cut through his reverie. Snapping back to attention he stared down at her.

"Course I am, why?"

Shrugging her narrow shoulders Gail tried to arrange her puzzled expression but George could see her confusion. "You were sort of staring off blankly into space," she said and they stopped dancing. "Maybe some fresh air would do you good?" She suggested.

Disappointment and relief warred each other as she led him off the floor, her hand grasping his. On one side George was in need of something to relieve the tension just from watching Kate dance with Ian. Yet, he did not like letting her out of his sight yet again. Plus leaving the dance floor only increased his chances that Fred would hunt him down so they could corner Bagman. This wasn't the night for business, nor was this apparently the night he was going to get the girl.

"Air will be good," he said and smiled down at Gail. "How about you go and stake out a bench and I'll bring us some cider."

Nodding, Gail gave him a sweet smile and started in the direction of the open doors. Her pink skirts swished pleasantly about her as she moved away and George turned his attention to the large refreshments table that had been set up on the far side of the Great Hall. For about the tenth time that evening he reached up to loosen his tie, trying not to scowl as he remembered he still had a while to go before it was acceptable to untie the damn thing.

At the table he gathered up two crystal mugs and started for the large bowl of pumpkin cider. As he was reaching for a ladle he found a hand reaching for it at the same time. Looking up he was surprised to see Angelina. "Evening Ang," he said with a cordial grin.

A smirk lifted up the corner of her mouth as she let him ladle cider for her. "You know," she began conversationally. "If you stare any harder at Kate from across the room she just might burst into flames," she teased.

George could feel the flush running up his neck. For a moment he wondered if it would be better to play it off as Angelina seeing things, but the look on her face told him otherwise. It seemed he was in a constant lose-lose situation tonight. "That obvious?" He admitted, defeat lacing each syllable.

"A bit," she said and then gave him a reassuring smile. One of her many braids had escaped her intricate updo and fell across her forehead. Reaching up she turned the strand behind her ear. "Only to those of us who know," she said and then shrugged. "Are you going to do something about it?"

Nodding he focused very hard of ladling the cider into his own two mugs. "I'm trying but it's not as if I can just leave Gail alone all night and go profess my love for Kate in the middle of the dance floor."

"Not to mention Fred keeps trying to hunt you down to the two of you can go blackmail Bagman," said Angelina. George's head snapped up and his mouth opened in a round 'O' of shock. Rolling her eyes, she tilted her glance over to where Fred was making a beeline for them. "Look if you can promise me that you'll end all this stupidity between you and Kate tonight then I will do everything in my power to keep your brother from mucking it all up, deal?"

For the first time all evening a true smile came to his face. "You're the best Ang," he said.

"Yeah well, don't you forget it," she said and darted away to cut off Fred before he reached George. For a moment he wondered what she was going to do until he watched Angelina set down the glass of cider on a nearby table. There was a two second pause of hesitation before she grabbed Fred by the lapels of his jacket and pulled him to her, kissing him full on the mouth. George's eyebrows flew up as he gave a shocked laugh and started clapping his hands. Applause rang out around them along with wolf whistles from Lee.

Gathering the glasses of cider he started towards the outside to talk to Gail. He now had one obstacle down; it was time to manage the other.

X X X X X

Angelina pulled away from Fred, expelling the breath she'd been holding. The shock on his face was completely evident as he mouthed stupidly for a few moments. Letting her hands loosen the grip on his jacket they dropped to her sides and she waited for him to string a coherent thought together. He own surprise had sent her mind reeling; never once in her seventeen years had she done something so unbelievably impulsive and utterly out of character.

Public displays of affection were more Katie and Lee's speed, certainly not hers. In fact Angelina had never even kissed a boy in any public venue and now she had gone and kissed Fred Weasley in front of half the bloody school. The applause had died out and that left the pair of them staring blankly at each other.

Still, she'd promised George his shot at finding uninterrupted time to win Kate and her date was adamant that he talk to his brother. The point at which Fred was willing to gently move Angelina out of the way had been the breaking point. So she did the only thing she knew to do, the exact last thing Fred would have expected of her. "You were saying?" She said in what she hoped was a breezy manner as she reached for her cider glass.

Slowly consciousness seemed to flood back into her date and his hazel eyes snapped to her, wide as tea saucers. "I have absolutely no idea," he said and she couldn't help the girly giggle that popped out of her mouth upon hearing his dreamy tone. "No bloody clue whatsoever."

Reaching out she grasped his hand and cider forgotten started pulling him toward the dance floor. "Good, then you can dance with me again," she said and for a moment it seemed he would willingly oblige. Yet, almost as soon as his feet began to shuffle after her he came to a dead halt.

Angelina was surprised as he used a minor amount of strength and with a gentle tug pulled her back. Both arms came around her frame and he steadied her balance. Looking up through her lashes, Angelina was not at all surprised to see the familiar evil grin on his face as he tightened his hold. "I sincerely hope that wasn't a ploy to get me to shut up," he said held her with one arm as he brushed the braid that had fallen into her eyes again.

For a long moment Angelina considered why she had done something so unbelievably rash. After months of attempting to convince both Fred and she that she didn't want a public relationship she had mucked it up in a split second. What was worse is how easy it was to throw caution to the wind and lay a decent kiss on him. "Partly," she admitted not willing to complete concede her ground.

Perhaps it was not everything Fred was looking for but Angelina knew it was a step in the right direction. As he held the side of her face gently and practically beamed at her, a strange sensation swept over her. It wasn't entirely all bad to be fawned over by Fred; nor was allowing him to show more affection in public. In fact, she hadn't minded kissing him in front of everyone one bit at all. "I'll take partly," he said just the way she knew he would. "I can definitely work with partly."

"Good," she said firmly. "Now will you shut it and come dance?" This time it was Fred who led the way to the dance floor. As they took their spot up the song switched to a fast one. Fred's grin took a playful tone and in a swift motion he spun her out and then back in, causing their bodies to bump together in the most interesting way. Angelina knew she was sporting a deep blush as he moved his hips against hers before spinning her out again.

Out of her corner of her eye she saw Kate dancing with Ian. Her steel grey skirts swung with natural ease about her body and she was laughing. George was walking in with Gail and the look on his face showed a determination Angelina had scarcely seen. As Fred pressed his lips against her hair she smiled; head over heels in love was perfect for Kate and George but she would stick to partly. Partly was absolutely good enough for now.

X X X X X

Alicia rounded the corner of the table and set her drink down next to Kate. A smile quirked at Kate's mouth as she looked into her own full glass of spiked cider. All around them the after party was in full swing. Both girls were watching their dates laugh over a half empty bottle of Firewhiskey and two shot glasses.

"Justin Boot and Ian Haynes, sloshed and in bow ties." Kate said and sighed as she let her eyes sweep over and through the weaving body of her peers. The only sign of red hair she'd seen thus far was Fred practically wrapped around Angelina on the dance floor in the middle of Flitwick's lecture hall. As Kate looked about the room she had to admit all of the spells that had gone into protecting the site of the after party were impressive.

"It's actually quite amusing," said Alicia tilting her head slightly to the side. "And a touch disgusting," she added just as Ian let more of the whiskey slosh onto the table rather than in the shot glass.

Still there was no sign of George anywhere and Kate was feeling her heart sink lower and lower. "Yeah, Ian's always been a bit of a sloppy drunk," she muttered and rest her elbows on the table.

Alicia placed a hand on Kate's shoulder. "Still nothing from George? Nothing at all?"

The sting of rejection she'd been feeling since earlier in the evening only intensified at the thought. All evening she'd watched George dance with Gail and talk to Gail and even disappear outside with Gail. In fact the only thing he wasn't doing was talking to Kate about her declaration of love. "Apparently either George can't read or he doesn't care," said Kate with a soft sigh.

"Or too thick to know what move to make next."

Pressing her palms flat on the table Kate huffed a deep breath. Fat tendrils of her hair were beginning to escape and fall across her forehead. "It isn't that difficult, all he has to do is hunt me down, push me against a wall and snog me senseless!"

Chuckling Alicia took a deep drink from her glass. "You know for being a romance columnist you really don't focus on the romance," she teased.

Rolling her eyes Kate shrugged and heaved a sigh. Everything she had hoped her night was going to be turned out to be nothing. George hadn't said anything about the article, nor did he ask her to dance. Hell, she thought, he hadn't even said anything along the lines of 'nice dress.' Getting to her feet she untangled her skirts and shot a disdainful look at her drink. "I hate to leave you with drunk and drunker," she said in reference to Justin and Ian. "But my night has been less than stellar and I think I'm just going to crawl into bed and forget it ever happened."

Kate barely heart heard Alicia's woeful goodbye over the music. As she walked away toward the door she didn't see George break through the thick knot of people, only to have Alicia start yelling at him. Instead she passed through the doorway of the classroom and turned towards the main stair, destined for the Gryffindor tower.

Rubbing her arms over her shoulders, Kate silently cursed not wearing a wrap or a shawl. The castle hallways were drafty at night, and especially worse when snow was coming down as heavy as it was. Her dress frothed back and forth with each step while her stomach fell as each step drew her further and further away from the sounds of the party. After unsuccessfully finding a moment to speak with George followed by his not showing to the party she felt utterly lost. What had suddenly gone so wrong that he had avoided her all night long?

Her lips trembled as she started the staircase that led to the Gryffindor tower. Slowly she climbed the stairs, taking special care to hold her skirts out of the way with each movement. Tears were beginning to well into her bottom lids but rapidly she blinked them away, determined not to cry. Well, she was determined to not cry until she was at least in the safety of her four-poster. All around her the castle was settling in for a long and cold night. Snow was softly falling again outside and she wondered how deep it would be this time. Not that any of that particularly mattered, she wasn't planning on getting out of her bed until she absolutely had to.

Absently she began to pull the pins out of her hairdo, allowing sections of waves to start spilling over her shoulders. Angrily she wiped her tears away and pushed her offending locks of hair behind her. At last she reached the Gryffindor tower but the Fat Lady was hard asleep. Normally this was never a problem, she was a light enough sleeper but as Kate said her name the woman didn't budge. Frowning Kate realized that the several empty bottles of wine in the painting had a lot to do with the lady's comatose state. Sighing she was about to yell when a mewing behind her caught her attention.

Kate's stomach literally dropped to the dungeons as she turned around to find Mrs. Norris staring up at her with her lamp like eyes. Cursing under her breath Kate could already hear Filch's howling. Just as she was about to try and wake the Fat Lady steps behind her alerted her to a presence almost as soon as a hand closed over her wrist.

"Come on," and as she looked at her leader she was surprised to find a Weasley twin. He pulled her around the next corner and opened an unfamiliar classroom door. Inside she was surprised to find a small classroom with tall windows, casting the snow light night into the room.

With a wink, George held his finger to his lips and tugged her out of the way of the door and into the furthest corner of the room. Drawing an arm around her waist she found herself pressed against his chest. The door creaked open and she held her breath, as Filch walked in. Both of them shrank deeper into the corner and by the grace of some God the door shut just a few moments later.

Pulling away she backed into the center of the room and George followed her. A shiver rushed down her spine as the cold air greeted her bare shoulders and arms. Almost as soon as she brought her hands to her upper arms George unbuttoned his coat and slipped it off his shoulders, moving to settle it on hers. Despite the childish impulse to throw the jacket on the floor, the warmth that immediately flooded Kate's body was enough to say nothing. Instead she looked at him through her curtain of hair.

"So are we going to have a staring contest all night?" George asked as he put his hands in his trousers pockets.

Tipping her chin up, Kate shook her hair from her face and leaned to sit against one of the heavy desks that formed a semi-circle around the board. "Where's Gail?" The question flew from her lips before she could stop it.

"No idea," he admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. "Probably at the after party telling her friends that I'm a rubbish date who ditched her almost as soon as the Ball ended."

Kate pulled the lapels of the coat tighter about her and made the mistake of breathing in deep. George's scent hit her like the Hogwarts Express, absolutely divine. Ignoring the sudden speed of her heart, Kate tried not to look at him. "You didn't even speak to me all night."

Running his fingers through his hair George drew closer; they were no more than a few feet away from each other now. "I've been trying to find a moment, but between Gail and Fred and everyone else in the damn school keeping me apart from you it's been a touch of a challenge. As soon as I found out you'd left the party I did too. Sprinted from Flitwick's room all the way here to catch up to you," he said.

Arching her eyebrows, Kate didn't want to be impressed but she was. Flitwick's room was on the complete other side of the castle from the Gryffindor tower. Still she kept her arms crossed over her chest, George chasing her down after all the fact didn't excuse the hurt she was still feeling. "I felt so stupid all night long," she said looking out the window.

"Why?"

Tension hung thick in the air and Kate knew George was waiting for her response. As she tried to piece the words together her frustration only built higher until she felt the dam explode. "Because I wrote that article about you! Do you know how hard it was to give you that insert? I thought I was going to die from nerves the whole time, and I asked you to save me a dance so I was patient. Ian and I waited the whole night for you to come across the floor and sweep me off my feet! Because you said you were in love with me and I feel so bloody moronic because I am stupid in love with you George!"

Kate didn't get a chance to say anything more as George strode across the room. He placed his hands on either side of her face pressed his mouth against hers. At first the anger was so strong that she pushed him away, he stumbled backwards and a look of shock cross his face before determination set in. Without saying a word he came back to her again and this time used a gentle touch to sweep her hair from her face. Once again he cradled her face between his hands and stared down into her eyes. Kate felt as if her heart was going to explode in her chest. "Kate I say this with all of the love in my heart, please shut it."

This time when he kissed her Kate's eyes slipped shut and the anger streamed out of her body. Lifting her arms about his shoulders she practically melted into him. One of his arms moved to encircle her waist, pulling her into a standing position. Their mouths moved in perfect synchrony, and Kate wondered why she had ever thought anyone else could possibly be a better match. In that moment she was convinced that they were designed to kiss each other.

George's tongue swept over her bottom lip and she opened her mouth greet him. As he deepened the kiss Kate's knees buckled and he tightened his grip to hold her. The result brought her body flush against his and every nerve ending in her body came alive. Her fingers dove into his tousled red hair and angled his head down for a better angle. George chuckled against her lips and in response Kate couldn't help but smile.

Kissing George free of guilt and free of concern was perhaps the best experience of her life thus far. The world had spun away and just the two of them remained, locked in that single moment. Kate felt as if she could write hundreds of articles and thousands of words to describe that kiss and never come close to the feeling coursing her veins.

When at last the need for oxygen became pressing they pulled away and George pressed his forehead to hers. "I am in love with you too, probably beyond stupid in love. This time around I know better than to let you walk out."

Stepping apart from her he held onto her hand and a smile graced her lips as he drew her into the open spot in the classroom. "George what are you doing?" She asked.

"I owe you a dance."

Looking around at the empty classroom, Kate's smile widened. "There's no music," she teased.

"As that would stop me," he said and with a gentle tug she was in his arms again. Despite the fact that no music played in the background he drew an arm around her waist and held the other tightly in his. Kate responded and brought her free hand to wind around his shoulder and her head found its way into the crook of his neck. Back and forth they began to sway, George holding their joined hands close to his chest.

Kate found the moment so unconventional it was almost cliché as his lips brushed her temple. "You look beautiful tonight," he murmured into her ear and she smiled against the fabric of his dress shirt. "I'm sorry I didn't dance with you at the actual Ball."

"I like it better this way," said Kate against his shirt. "Just you and me, without the whole school watching us." She felt George chuckle and the vibrations felt wonderful transferred through her body.

"Merlin forbid we make a spectacle of ourselves," he said. "Besides I believe Angelina and my brother have already taken care of the live entertainment for our fellow class mates."

"I'm sorry it took me so long to figure everything out," she admitted and he tipped her chin up so their eyes met. George's hazel was almost silver in the dim light of the room. "So much wasted time."

Shrugging he squeezed her hand. "I'm not all that sorry actually. Though you can't always just write an article and make some spectacular apology via print every time we fight you know," he teased and she laughed, reaching her hand up to thread in the hair at the base of his neck. "Anymore than I can just snog you senseless against the fireplace."

Burying her face into his shoulder again she muffled her laugh. "Oh I don't know I certainly don't mind the snogging."

George spun her out and then back in. There was a strangely serious look in his eyes as he took her in. Kate felt as though he was trying to understand more, to see deeper into what she was feeling. "The past is done," he said. "I don't care about any of that, I just care that we're both on the same page together," he said. After a second he brushed away the hair from her forehead and tilted her chin higher. "Though I am a fan of the snogging too," he muttered and closed the gap.

Their lips met softly again, and when they pulled away a rather idiotic smile was on George's face. "Correction, I'm not a fan of the snogging," he said and her lips began to arc downward. "I'm a devotee to the snogging."

Rolling her eyes she locked her hands about his neck. "Good, you just might have to get used to it."

Feigning a tense and resigned expression he placed a hand over his heart, George pretended to mull her words for a moment. "It might require much practice, but I will endeavor to do my best," he teased and she laughed as he went in for another heart stopping, forget her name good kiss.

**Ta-dah! But don't think this is over, not by a long shot! Well, okay the 'will they? Won't they?' drama is over but the getting together part is only a fraction of a relationship. I have a lot more fun in store for the future! **

**Also I do apologize for the delay, I literally re-wrote the entire last half of the chapter, swapping everything from locations to view points…the whole nine yards. **

**Next chapter will feature manly men facing off, the News Dungeon and some more holiday spirit! Remember reviews are love! - Brose**


	19. Love and the Confetti Confection

**A/N: Greetings from hectic and currently hotter than hell Brose-land! I bring to you the eighteenth installment of LEBC. This chapter is a bit of a break from the drama and the mess, which I assure you will return and soon! Still I couldn't help but give our couple some nice easy fluff.**

**A very big thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited and alerted…seriously you are all wonderful, fantastic, and incredible. I certainly would not have had the motivation to get this far without the encouragement!**

**Disclaimer: You know what's mine and what isn't. If you don't then the legality issues should be the least of your worries.**

Chapter 18: Love and the Confetti Confection

The girl's dorm was rousing with life as Kate fiddled with her shining waves. A half frown was on her face as she fiddled with the bangs that swept across her eyes. Nothing seemed to be lying just right this morning and she huffed a sigh, pushing the mass behind her shoulder and reaching for a thin tortoise shell headband. She'd even been working hard on getting her makeup perfect. On the bed behind her three shirts were laid out and she hadn't decided which one to wear yet.

Angelina was still buried beneath her covers while Alicia had just come out wrapped in a towel. Her hair hung in wet ropes over her shoulders and a miserable expression was plastered across her face. "Never drinking with Ian and Justin again."

Grinning, Kate turned her body from the mirror and got to her feet. "I can't believe you helped them polish off a second bottle. I bet Ian is absolutely miserable today." Alicia said nothing but slumped into her bed. Slowly she began to survey Kate as she stood before the foot of the bed staring at the shirts.

"Please don't tell me you're concerned about what shirt you're going to wear," she mumbled. "On the day after Christmas, just because you happened to come in at three in the morning, with your hair in a tangle wearing this," she leaned over and from the floor next to Kate's bed lifted George's jacket.

Shrugging, Kate's lips quirked into a grin and decided on the grey waffled shirt. After she had tugged on her jeans and grey chuck taylors she got to her feet and gathered her bag. "I think Lee usually keeps a hangover remedy in his trunk, I bet if you ask he'll set you up."

Nodding, Alicia began to tug a comb through her tangles, wincing with each pull. "Thanks, where are you off?"

"Breakfast, then the Dungeon."

"Plans with George?" Kate knew she flushed bright red as she picked up his jacket and began to fold it carefully. She put it inside her bag and started for the door. "I mean he's your boyfriend now and all right?"

Pausing at the door handle, Kate shifted her weight nervously. "I, erm, actually don't know. We didn't really get that far last night."

Snickering Alicia pressed her hands over her wet hair. "What in the name of Merlin's beard were you doing?" She asked and Kate scratched the back of her neck.

"Dancing, talking, and a touch of snogging."

Alicia's eyebrows flew up and a smirk toyed at the corners of her mouth. "A touch?"

"Okay a lot," she amended. Turning the door handle down she opened the dormitory door and shot a grin at her friend.

"Don't let him get away with skirting the issue!" Alicia said as Kate walked out into the hallway. Starting toward the staircase she twisted her hands uncomfortably. Despite wanting to ignore the blatant fact, Alicia had touched on the very detail Kate had been agonizing over all morning long. George had danced with her, snogged her and proclaimed his love yet again and still she had no idea what they stood now.

As she hit the bottom step from the girl's staircase, she found the common room full of slow activity. Several fourth year girls were giggling in the corner, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil at the center of their ring all of them casting furtive glances toward a few fifth year boys who had stumbled from their own stair. Smirking, Kate let her gaze pass over the second years playing gobstones and landed on a pair of red headed boys pouring over a sheaf of parchment. Lee Jordan was next to him, rubbing his hand over his dreadlocks.

Drawing closer Kate's eyes quickly discerned by watchbands, Fred and George. The smirk toying at her mouth only grew as she noted that Fred looked like absolute hell. His hair was horridly tousled and from his paler than usual complexion she was willing guess that he was suffering from a hangover of unusual proportions. Lee did not look any better as he rubbed the dark circles beneath his eyes. "Oi, when is that potion going to work?" Fred mumbled as he watched George scribble something down on the parchment.

"You only took it two minutes ago you git," said Lee with an irritable edge in his voice. "S'not my fault you and Angelina drank three bottles of wine on the seventh floor terrace before getting caught by Filch." Covering her mouth to stifle the giggle, Kate now understood why her poor roommate had not even so much as moved.

Her eyes landed on George and the flush swirled into her cheeks despite her wishes that it wouldn't. Long and lean in a pair of beat up blue jeans, Kate couldn't help but admire the pull of his body as he stood on his feet, leaning over the table. The sleeves of his rust colored sweater were pushed over his forearms revealing the tendons and muscles pulling against his firm skin. Swallowing she took in his sharp profile, from his straight nose to the freckles that lightened his good looks, allowing charm that might not have existed otherwise.

Deciding to swallow the thrill and terror in the pit of her stomach Kate made her way toward the boys. It was Lee who looked up to find her coming near the table. Straightening up he gave her a lopsided and knowing grin. "Clearly someone got her beauty rest last night," he teased as she came around the table.

"Clearly you were drinking the punch last night, you look like hell Jordan," she teased and tugged on one of his dreadlocks. Chuckling he swatted her hand away and slung an arm over her shoulder.

"You're lucky my hangover remedy is beginning to kick in," he muttered and she gave him a quick hug before pulling away. Fred managed to mumble a slightly incoherent greeting and she decided it would better to approach him when he didn't look like death walking.

Instead she focused her attention on the hand that had just filled hers. Looking up she found George's warm hazel eyes and his mouth curved into a genuine smile. "Good morning," he said and with a gentle tug she came closer to him.

"H-hi," she stuttered breathlessly and he chuckled under his breath. In a swift move he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her surprised lips before pulling away. The light that came to his face had nothing to do with the snow, as she blushed even deeper.

"Merlin's beard I already feel nauseous, please don't add to it," snapped Fred as he began to roll up their parchments.

Rolling her eyes Kate leaned into George as he draped an arm over her shoulder. "Says the Weasley twin who snogged his girl in front of the entire school last night," she said.

"More than once," said George squeezing her shoulder.

"And in front of your professors." Kate rounded out and they shared a look, her heart sped up just looking into his warm and loving expression. George was hers now, and she didn't have even the slightest problem that she was his. Peeking over the parchments she caught the header of the WWW's. "I didn't mean to break up the business meeting," she said just as Fred managed to get everything into his bag.

Lee waved her off as he rolled the sleeves of his wrinkled button down over his arms. "No worries, gives us a good excuse to head down to breakfast. Maybe food will cheer up prince charming here."

Fred merely cursed under his breath and shouldered his bag roughly. Together the four of them started for the portrait hole. Lee and Fred were bickering in front of them as they started through the empty halls. George still had his arm around Kate's shoulder as their pace slowed to an easy stroll. "You know you looked stunning last night but I rather prefer you this way," said George amiably. "Wearing jeans with a hole in the knee that by the way make your arse look fantastic."

Hitting his shoulder, Kate laughed as he grinned. "So that's how it's going to be? Now that you've got the girl all good manners are out the window?"

George used his free hand to rub his chin in a musing manner. He took on such an air of his older brother Percy that Kate was having a hard time containing her laughter. "I'm afraid so, us men are only allotted so much in the way of good behavior."

"Did you ever have an ounce of good behavior?"

Jostling her a little in retaliation he couldn't keep the cocky smirk from his lips. "Nah, Percy sucked up all good will and behavior long before Fred and I were born. All he left was enough intelligence between Fred and I. We also got all the humor whereas Ron seemed to get all of Percy's irritability without the benefit of his brilliance." Slapping his chest, Kate gave a nostalgic sigh, thinking of the days when it had been Charlie, Percy and the twins all at Hogwarts.

"I do adore your family," she said dreamily.

"Good that makes one of us." George joked and then chuckled. "Mum'll be thrilled to hear I've got a girlfriend though, she'll think you'll be the key to directing me toward a more suitable career."

Kate swore her heart skipped a beat before momentarily stopping in her chest. Ignoring the butterflies beating against her stomach wall she peered up at George. "Is that what I am?" She asked. "Your girlfriend?"

They started down the steps toward the Great Hall. "Merlin's beard I hope so," he said. "I didn't tell you I loved you just for novelty of it."

"Which would make you my boyfriend?"

"I prefer supreme lord and divine lover but if you must go with something so terribly mundane then yes I am your boyfriend." George affirmed and together they hopped the invisible step before taking the last few to the entryway. As they came into the Great Hall they started down the aisle between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Fred and Lee were settling into their usual spot and Kate noticed with wry amusement how empty the hall seemed.

They sat down next to each other and began to load their plates with food. Kate was spreading marmalade across a piece of toast when a flash of blonde on her free side was accompanied by her sister plopping down next to her. "Thank Merlin you're awake. Ian was pestering me this morning about making sure you're alright."

Straightening up Kate nodded and as she smiled, she felt George's fingers brush her hair over her shoulder. The smile grew larger and Kate knew she was grinning at her sister like an absolute idiot. "Kate is just fine this morning, how is the charming Mr. Haynes?"

Cara's eyes took on a knowing glint and she reached for the pitcher of pumpkin juice. "I see you're apparently very fine and may I just say on behalf of everyone else who doesn't have the back bone it's about bloody time," she snapped and then smiled at the pair of them. Her eyes darted to where Fred was slowly beginning to perk up. "The Weasley twins off the market at the same time, hearts will be breaking all over the castle today," she said and turned her glowing approval toward Kate.

"Not even remotely shocking, we are quite dashing after all," said George as he snagged a piece of bacon from Kate's plate. Before he could take a bite she snatched it back and turned back to Cara.

"Don't even let him get going, you'll never hear the end of it. How is Ian doing? Last I saw he and Justin were singing the Puddlemere United chant while clinking half empty shot glasses together." Cara tossed her head back and laughed.

"Ian was in the common room hunched over black coffee and muttering something about the unfortunate expediency issues of muggle medicine, in those words exactly. Unless he drags himself to the News Dungeon on all fours I would be shocked to see him about the castle before dinner."

Kate wanted look concerned and displeased but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Now that she had a confirmation from George her plans had changed. Having Ian lurking around the News Dungeon might not bode well for what she wanted to do. "Smarter man than I, I think this food is making everything worse," said Fred from across the table.

Suddenly Cara put an elbow into Kate's side. "Well light my wand on fire," she whispered following her sister's line of sight. At the very end of the Gryffindor table sat Viktor Krum and Hermione Granger. Even from her far away distance Kate could see that the poor girl was a brilliant scarlet color as the quidditch player reached across the table and took her hand.

"There's one I didn't see coming," said Cara as she took a drink from her goblet. "And here I thought stumbling in on Cho and Diggory getting handsy in a corner at the after party was the biggest shock I was going to get over the past few days."

Kate's jaw dropped. "Diggory? As in Saint Diggory?" Lee questioned before she could even form the words.

"Good for him," said Fred. "Maybe having a girl will dull his performance in the tournament."

"Could change our system." George muttered. "He was the odd on favorite."

Arching a brow Kate looked between the brothers and Lee with her eyebrows raised. "What are you talking about?" Guilty looks passed between the three and she frowned as George put a placating arm around her shoulder.

Cara grinned and dug something from her robes. "Here, this came for you with my post. I've got to go meet Cho and some of the girls at my table. I'll talk to you later." Then just as soon as she appeared, Cara was gone, flouncing down to her end of the Ravenclaw table.

The writing distracted Kate across the front of the envelope. "It's from my Aunt Madeline," she said.

"Your father's sister?" George guessed and Kate nodded. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably as she took in the painstakingly perfect loopy cursive. Madeline Kelley was a true example of wizarding royalty and had been on a constant mission for years to settle her family's disputes, and more than anything to bring Kate and Cara into the proper wizarding society. "Are you going to open it?" He asked.

Without giving the envelope a second glance, Kate shook her had and stuffed it carelessly into her bag. Right now she was too happy and content to be sitting next to her new boyfriend to care about anything her family wanted now. "No, I'm going to enjoy my morning with my friends and with you."

X X X X X

George was absolutely positive that nothing could ruin his day. Lighting could strike him or giants could tear the castle to rubble and still, he would be having the best day ever. Currently Kate was holding his hand, leading him down the stairs to the dungeons. At first he was afraid she would be taking him to some remedial potions but as they passed the corridor that broke off to Snape's end of the castle, he began to form a better picture of where they were going.

That Kate was leading him anywhere by the hand alone was a miracle in itself. She could have been taking him to a medieval torture room and he would have happily gone. Call it tunnel vision, but he was all too thrilled by the newness of everything to care. Instead of worrying about the final destination he watched her hair swing back and forth in nice combination with her hips. With pleasure his eyes dropped lower and further confirmed his belief that he like Kate in old blue jeans more than anything else.

Kate came to a sudden halt before a large frame containing a scroll. "That thing looks ancient," he said moving closer to inspect the old English printing.

"That's because it is," she replied and then faced the scroll. "Kate Kelley, columnist and George Weasley, err, guest." George was not surprised to see the glass vanish and the scroll rolled up with a sharp snap. An arched hole in the wall revealed a doorway.

With a gentle pull from Kate he walked into a room roughly half the size of the Great Hall. Looking up he whistled as he took in the vaulted ceilings and then the row of large work desks and high sitting tables. One wall had several large calendars lining it while the other had countless framed issues. For the first time ever he was standing in Kate's home away from home. "So welcome to the News Dungeon," she said proudly stepping away.

Kate held her arms out gesturing to the space around her. Several large printing presses took up a large portion of the back and lamps suspended by golden chains lighted the room. Huge pots containing quills of every color were set on one table along with ink colors, each bottle with a corresponding label. Drawing closer he began to read the labels, red was for corrections editing and violet was grammar.

He lifted a green one devoted to wording suggestions and he let out a whistle as he counted another seven inks. "Wow," he said and then smiled as a pair of hands slid beneath his arms and came to brace against the front side of his shoulders. Kate's chest pressed against his back as she stood on tiptoe, her chin just resting on his shoulder.

"We keep everything organized to every minute detail otherwise it would be more chaos than it already is," she explained and pointed at the calendar containing the most writing. "That's the social calendar, my altar to everything non-academic at Hogwarts." With a radiant smile she pulled him towards a desk.

She came around and placed her hands on the back of a rickety wooden rolling chair. A brilliant purple cushion was tied to the slots on the back and he could see there were ink stains in the fabric. "This is my desk," she said with a fond smile.

Shaking his head he could barely see the surface of the desktop it was so covered in parchment, quills and issues of the paper. He could see pages of drafts and notes written in her incomprehensible handwriting. "How do you do any work on this desk?" He asked and smirked as she began to stack parchments and shoving quills in desk drawers.

"I usually don't," she admitted and gave him a grin. "Normally Ian and I set up camp on that high table across the way and throw crumbled up parchment at each other while bickering about line edits," she admitted and he chuckled coming around to her side of the desk. Facing Kate so her back hit the desk he placed his hands on her hips, stepping in close.

"Well," he started, breathing in deep. Kate's perfume filled his senses, and he closed his eyes leaning in. A grin crossed his face as he began to kiss under her ear, she breathed in sharply and placed her arms around his waist. "Perhaps it's time you put it to some good use."

His lips had barely brushed over hers when the doorway opened. "Merlin's beard Kate. The News Dungeon is not some private venue in which you can snog him senseless," said Ian clutching one hand to his head. The other was carrying a heavy goblet and his bag was slung over his shoulder. All of his dark curls were hidden beneath a thin skullcap, which seemed to go well with the other array of heavy clothes he was wearing.

George let out a small fraction of a groan as he pressed his forehead with hers. Kate couldn't help the smile that grew wider on her face. "You look awful Ian," she said and heard him snort in disbelief.

"You have your back to me Kelley, so unless there's another pair of eyes hiding in that bloody perfect hair of yours then I sincerely doubt you'd know that." Rolling her eyes, Kate looked up at George with an imploring glance. Looking over her head, George had to admit she was right without even having to look.

Ian Haynes was indeed a walking train wreck. "Hangover remedy?" He asked pointed to Ian who was glaring at his goblet with extreme dislike.

"Yes," he said snidely but George was pretty sure it wasn't directed to him. "Justin Boot is one of the best potion makers in our year," he explained and his voice was even laced with misery. Kate slid off her desk and back onto her feet turning around to face her friend. George took the opportunity and placed a hand on the small of her back. The simple gesture caused her to look up at him with a warm smile, which he couldn't help but return.

"What brings you down to the Dungeon Ian?" Kate asked, but to George's immense pleasure she was still looking at him.

Faintly George was aware that Ian had dumped his bag on his desk and judging by the disgusted noise, finished his potion. "I was hoping to get some work finished." At last George broke his gaze. "So I take it you two have finally managed to get your act together."

It was Kate who answered. "You could definitely say that, yeah."

"I suppose congratulations are in order." George's eyebrows flew up. Deciding to pass off the comment to Ian's hangover he came around Kate's desk as Ian approached. Looking over his shoulder Kate was shuffling things around her desk, clearly not seeing the sudden development of tension between the boys.

Ian squared up with his shoulders straight and despite the fact that he was wincing with each move he stuck out a hand. "Thanks mate," said George and grasped Ian's hand, determined not to read too much into the editor's sudden swagger.

"That's my best friend you're dating and consequently the best girl in the world," said Ian with conviction, but only loud enough for George to hear. What was more Ian's grip had suddenly tightened to the point where George felt the uncomfortable pressure. Deciding not to take too much from Ian he returned the squeeze.

"I know," he said and looked back to where Kate was flicking her wand across the room to the social calendar. The quill quivering on the board began to cross out several events and dates, which she had not caught up with.

Ian's gaze was hard when George turned back. "If you hurt her I'll have no choice but to hurt you on her behalf."

George wanted badly to crack a joke to alleviate the tension. Clearly he had underestimated just how much Ian protected Kate. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that, like you said she's the best girl," he repeated. The conviction in his voice must have done the trick because Ian loosened his death hold and shook his hand firmly, a strained smile coming across his misery-ridden face.

"Good, so long as we're in agreement there."

Kate looked up from her work a smirk toying at her mouth. "Are you two quite finished with your manly exchange of threats?" She enquired and George felt the flush run down the back of his neck. Ian merely groaned and went to collapse in his desk chair, throwing his feet up on the desktop.

"You are a wraith and an absolute pain my arse Kelley," he muttered and covered his face with his hands. "George I really hope you enjoy being tortured else you're in for a miserable time," he said and across the room Kate started laughing. A crumbled up ball of parchment sailed just past George's nose and it hit Ian squarely on top of the head. Indignation spluttered from Ian's mouth accompanied with his incessant groaning over his headache.

"You deserved it," she snapped back but there was a wicked smile on her face.

George chuckled and was content to lean against her desk and wait for her to get her things together. "So what else did you have planned for the day?" He asked, ignoring Ian's mumbling.

"Well since the Dungeon is unfortunately occupied," said Kate with a glance at Ian. "Perhaps we can talk everyone into a snowball fight." The smile on her face was illuminating as she came around and slipped her hand into his.

Squeezing her fingers as they started for the door, George looked down at his girlfriend. In his body his stomach was doing somersaults as they took in the brightness of her grey eyes. After all the headache of the past few months he could scarcely believe that they were here, but as she half drug him from the News Dungeon laughing he could see nothing but a bright future ahead.

X X X X X

"Ronald!" A chastising voice cut through the small group of people congregated around a comfortable spot in the common room. Balloons and streamers were everywhere in shades of red and gold. A huge banner was hung over the fireplace, with a countdown slowly ticking off the minutes until the New Year officially began.

Ron Weasley looked up from where he had been allowing Lee pour a measure of Firewhiskey into his pumpkin juice. From her spot on the arm of the sofa Kate made a face as she watched the youngest Weasley brother take a healthy gulp. He spluttered and Kate could hardly blame him, pumpkin juice and whiskey was not the world's most pleasant combination. "What?" He asked Hermione Granger indignantly as she made to grab his glass from him.

"You shouldn't be drinking," she emphasized and made a frustrated squeak as he held the glass out of her reach. Kate sighed as she watched the inevitable argument unfold, wondering why Hermione wasn't celebrating the incoming new year with the Durmstrang group who was having their celebration somewhere else in the castle. If she was as steady with Krum as the rumors had tipped off then it only seemed appropriate that she be kissing him at midnight and not arguing with Ron.

Then again she noted as she watched the flush spread across the girl's face as she stalked away, love was truly blind. Although Ron would really have to possess a skull several inches thick to not understand that Hermione harbored feelings for him. With a smug grin Ron repositioned himself among the circle of his brother's friends though she watched as his eyes flittered between Fred and George, both currently working on the small display they had planned for the stroke of midnight.

Alicia let out a small giggle next to Kate. "This is a nice night, shame we have class so soon," she murmured and Kate blew out a sigh.

"Let's agree to not think about school until we absolutely have to," she said and a righteous grin took Alicia's face.

"Hear hear!" And she clinked her glass of wine against Kate's own drink. Without any warning a loud bang erupted from the corner of the common room and a rogue firework exploded. A spinning star propelled forward and was accompanied by Fred or George, Kate couldn't tell, bellowing for everyone to duck. Alicia and Kate dropped their heads just in time to be covered in a shower of sparks that bounced off the couch and fizzled as they hit the carpet. The brilliant emerald star continued to crackle until Lee pointed his wand and with a resound 'finite' the star was gone.

Fred and George were both grinning apologetically as they returned back to their work amid the half shocked laughter. The banner was reading five minutes until midnight, and Kate smiled as she watched George hit the backside of Fred's head as they finished tinkering with their New Years treat. At length he stood and tugged on the tails of the yellow oxford he wore. The sleeves were rolled over his forearms along with the top few buttons undone. Comically he and Fred had worn matching everything right down to their beat up grey converse trainers but Kate had to admit there was very little comedy about how well his jeans fit, nor the way his hair fell perfectly across his forehead.

"You two are a little disgusting you know that?" Alicia teased over Kate's shoulder.

Shrugging, Kate couldn't necessarily argue with the observation. In the week they'd been dating it was almost impossible to find George without Kate and the other way around. Perhaps it was because Kate knew that the start of term would keep them busy enough, she wanted to enjoy the newness before they were thrown back into the proverbial shark tank that was their school. "I have no idea what your talking about," she said just to be obstinate.

Alicia groaned and gently bumped her shoulder against Kate's. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Like right now you're staring at him like he's a three layer chocolate cake, it's a little shameless."

At this point Kate didn't even fight the arrogant grin that took her mouth. "Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not even remotely ashamed."

George and Fred were returning to their knot of friends and she smiled up at George as he settled himself on the floor in front of Kate. Absently her fingers threaded into his hair and he leaned against her calves, bared by the dress she wore. Looking up he smiled at her, and then leaned further back so he could continue her work. Alicia pretended to gag into her wine glass while George stretched his long legs out in front of him, crossing one foot over the other.

"Yes I was right, absolutely disgusting," said Alicia and George turned to giver a wicked grin.

"Moi? Disgusting?" He inquired all curiosity and humor. "Why ever more for?"

Rolling her eyes Kate gave his hair a gentle tug, which he swatted away, catching her fingers with his. "The two of you," said Alicia with an even wider grin. "If I'd known George and Kate as a couple were going to be so lovey then I would never have supported it."

Kate stifled her laughter in her drink and then with a squeal found George had gotten to his feet, dragging her with him. Part of her drink sloshed over the glass rim and fell in a heavy splotch over the carpet and George's trainer. A chuckle escaped his lips as he set down Kate's drink and then pulled her down into his lap.

"There is absolutely nothing disgusting about us," he proclaimed.

"Nothing at all," said Kate reiterating his point. "If you want too happy and touchy for their own good you are looking at the wrong Weasley twin," she added and George nodded, all the while tightening his hold on her waist.

"Says the couple who got caught snogging in the owlrey the other morning," muttered Alicia.

George rolled his eyes and brushed Kate's hair away from her face. She found her grey eyes trained on his hazel ones and the smile steadily grew until his entire face lit up from it. "I think we make a rather dashing couple don't you?" She pronounced in her haughtiest voice.

" Simply smashing, quite a spiffing pair to be seen," he began.

"Promenading down the halls arm in arm," she was shaking with silent laughter.

"Stealing clandestine kisses by moonlight."

At this point Alicia could not contain her laughter and she swatted both of them on the shoulder. "Clandestine my arse," she teased. "I see the goodnights you've been giving her," she said in reference to the rather impressive snog he'd laid on Kate in front of the entire common room when she'd gone to bed the night after Christmas.

George was about to respond when the countdown rose all around them. A new excitement spread through Kate as she looked down at her boyfriend. "You know I've never been kissed on midnight," she said and he regarded her with mock incredulity.

"Well that shall be rectified immediately!"

Five, four, three, two and one signaled the explosion of cheers in the common room and George lifted his wand flicking toward the small and carefully created display. Fireworks began to shoot off, bouncing from walls and sending colored showers of sparks and streamers in all directions. Filibusters Confetti Confections shot off with multicolored sparkles before releasing clouds of shining silver and gold confetti.

Amidst all of the chaos and celebration Kate found herself staring a George and George only. "Happy New Year love," he said softly.

"I think it's going to be a good one," she whispered and bent her head down just as he moved to meet her. A Confetti Confection burst over their heads and a burst of shining confetti rained over them as he kissed her. Closing her eyes she savored the moment as his fingers threaded into her hair and held her as close to him as he could.

**Everyone needs and loves a little fluff here and there! I do want to give fair and due warning and I will be repeating this over the next few chapters…the rating will change! Although lemons are very much not my thing, things may get a little…limey.**

**Anyway next chapter will feature the return to class, another article and the beginning of the arc that will build to the conclusion of sixth year. In other exciting news I already have several pieces and scenes for their seventh year started…I can't wait to get into the Umbridge reign of terror!**

**Remember reviews are love! – Brose.**


	20. Love and the Falling Teacups

**A/N: So I'm guessing you guys thought I had just…dropped off the face of the planet, but I didn't! Let me say now that I apologize profusely for the months it has been since I've updated. My life has been nothing short of pure chaos these last few months trying to get ready to submit law school applications. This chapter was also very, very difficult to write as I found myself at this lovely ending point in Kate's sixth year. I believe that I have now found the rest of this year's plot because it was the only thing left to outline in **

**comparison for all the other plans I have. **

**Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times over for all the love! Even if I didn't manage to PM you guys I want you to know how very flattered I am by all the positive reviews and alerts! I will try to be more regular with updates but I wouldn't expect them to be as frequent. **

**In other news this chapter officially makes this story over 100,000 words long, and as a result is the longest story I have written and am still writing!**

**Disclaimer: You know what's mine and what isn't. End of discussion.**

Chapter 19 Love and the Falling Teacups

A large bag slamming against the table startled Kate from her extensive pages of Potions notes. Flickering her eyes up she let a small smile quirk at the corners of her mouth as George shoved his body into a chair next to Alicia. "Can you believe the amount of homework McGonagall gave us?" He groaned.

"Yes, it's absolutely barbaric," said Alicia with a hint of sarcasm sneaking into her level tone. Her huge book lay open on the table she generously shifted the position of her notes so George could peer over them while he pulled out his work sheet. "The pop quiz this morning was especially brutal," she mumbled and Kate shook her head.

"And you wonder why I dropped the subject," muttered Kate between jotting down the half measurements of a tricky anesthetizing potion. Three days into term had already produced enough homework and headache that Kate was more than happy she hadn't passed her transfiguration exam. McGonagall had privately agreed that though Kate's efforts were impressive, transfiguration was never going to be her strength. Happily enough she swapped the subject for a class devoted to wizarding literature, a small lecture consisting of mostly Hogwarts finest bookworms but still, she was already enjoying the extensive reading list.

Lifting her eyes from her notes she smiled as George raked his fingers through his hair while he scanned his chapter for whatever answer he needed. The sleeves of his oxford were rolled back to reveal his strong forearms and the face of his watch caught the light, shining over the table's lacquered surface. "Where's Fred?" She asked, smiling over her quill.

"Snogging Angelina in the quidditch locker rooms I suspect," said George, looking up at her with a small grin. "He'll be here in fifteen I'm sure seeing as he and I have detention with McGonagall tonight," he said.

Alicia continued on with her notes as if this was not a shocking event, which Kate noted it really wasn't. Somehow it seemed more personal now that she was George's girlfriend. "What did you do now?" She asked brushing the feather of her quill over the tips of her fingers.

Chuckling he reached up and loosened his tie, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt. Shifting in her chair she crossed her legs and tried to ignore the way his hair fell across his forehead or the pull of his shirt over his shoulders with each move. "It was a complete miscommunication. You see we had been setting dung bombs outside Filch's office as a very generous start-of-term present and were a few minutes late to class," he said and Kate's eyebrow arched.

"How late is late?" She wondered out loud and he grinned widely.

"Bout half an hour wouldn't you say Leesh?" He inquired.

Alicia looked up from her notes, bearing a genuinely irritated expression. "I would say so yeah, you stormed in during the most important part of the lecture." Kate folded her hands and tried to hide her smile behind them as she leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table. The small study hostel was silent for a long moment and George's eyes found hers. Steadily both of their smiles grew as Kate fought her laughter.

"I'm guessing that did not go over well with McGonagall," she said and George shook his head.

"Got a little out of sorts you could say. Anyway she gave us detention and took a few points off but what else is new?" And that was the truth; it wasn't a normal week for their friends if the twins weren't in some form of trouble or another.

"It amazes me you haven't been expelled yet," said Alicia darkly.

Deciding to ignore her less than warm response, George rest his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. "It's a delicate balance but we've never caused any true mayhem or done real harm to anyone. Fred and I believe in humor for the fun of it, not for the downfall of others."

"And dung bombing Filch is harmless?" Asked Kate, her notes completely forgotten.

Shrugging George reached across the table and took her hand. "It provides good cheer and humor to the masses, I'm sure he doesn't mind a small spot of humiliation to please the greater good."

Alicia sighed and looked up from her homework absolutely exasperated and Kate felt a little bad. Their evening had been running quite smoothly until George showed up, which he inevitably did these days. Somehow the air of concentration and productivity seemed to seep from the group anytime a Weasley twin was around. "I'm going up to the dorm to finish, George if you need my notes you can borrow them in the morning," she said and shoved all of her things in her bag, leaving with a huff.

Almost as soon as the door was shut George had maneuvered his way to Kate's side of the table. "Good evening," she said with a giggle as he bent over her, taking her face in his hands.

Just as he was about to close the distance the door banged open and the shouts of Fred and Angelina filled the hall. "I can't believe you got me detention!" Angelina was growling as she stood in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest. With a defined sigh George pulled away from her and his lips quivered in a small smile.

"Never a moment's peace is there?" He teased and she brushed her fingers through his hair and across the collar of his shirt. "I guess I've got to go serve detention with those two," he murmured and kissed her cheek.

"It was your idea to go to the locker rooms in the first place Ang so stop yelling at me!" Fred snapped and Kate watched George with an amused smirk as he put his things away and slung his bag over his shoulder.

With a despairing sigh he ushered his brother and Angelina from the room, sparing a single glance for Kate over his shoulder. Grinning to herself, Kate finished the last of her notes before packing her things away. Taking the long trek to the common room, Kate was just through the portrait hole when a hand closed over her wrist. To her immense surprise Hermione Granger had drug her into a corner of the busy room.

"Hermione what's going on?" She asked as she was put into one of the two chairs set aside for them. To the best of Kate's knowledge she had never had a conversation longer than four or five exchanges with the fourth year. Kate was aware she was very close with George's little brother and was very smart, but she didn't know her well at all personally.

A small table sat between their chairs and upon further inspection, Kate did not find notes but rather several issues of the _Herald_ each opened and neatly folded to her column. Quietly she scanned the titles, several of them were from the year before. "I need some advice," said Hermione at last. Flicking her eyes up Kate was shocked to find a brilliant red blush in Hermione's pale cheeks. She was using her nervous hands to smooth out the pristine articles and her hair seemed to practically crackle in nervousness.

Leaning back in her chair Kate was beginning to gather a fairly solid idea of what was to come. "About a boy?" She enquired and watched with some measure of amusement, as the blush grew deeper and larger. "A dark and brooding foreign quidditch player perhaps?"

The strong allusion had done the trick and with a squeak the poor girl covered her face with her hands. "Yes," she moaned from behind her fingers. Brown eyes peered between the cracks as if waiting for Kate to start laughing.

Though the impulse was strong, Kate knew better. "I won't laugh if that's your concern," she said with what she hoped was a kind smile. "You're excellent at finding answers to your questions, and when Witch Weekly wasn't giving much to go on you turned to the rumored expert," she said and looked fondly over the articles she'd written. Two of the most noticeable was the bi-annual Question and Answer column and the other was the Top Ten Places to Snog.

"You write convincingly enough," said Hermione and Kate bit her lip, trying to see that as a compliment instead of how it had come out. "Plus it seems you never have a problem with finding a boy who wants to date you."

Now it was Kate's turn to blush as she remembered it was Hermione Granger who had stumbled in on George snogging her against the fireplace. Still, the girl had dutifully kept her silence and for that Kate was immeasurably grateful. Though the terms would never once come up, Kate did owe her for that kindness and in some way Hermione was expecting her to repay it. "What can I help you with?" Kate asked and neatly stacked the columns one on top of the other.

Suddenly Hermione seemed incredibly nervous and for the first time in Kate's limited experience with the girl, she seemed truly tongue-tied. Hermione's eyes flitted around the common room, zeroing in on the table where Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were hacking through homework with a couple other year mates. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil had busied themselves chatting with a few fifth year boys. As soon as she deemed it safe to speak freely Hermione sighed and cast her face down to her knees, covered by a pair of blue jeans. "You know I went to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum right?" She asked.

Crossing one leg over the other Kate nodded and leaned further back into her chair. "Of course," she said.

"Well I knew when he asked me that there might be some attraction there, I mean he had been lurking around the library for ages and was so nervous when he asked me," she said and Kate's heartstrings pulled for the girl. "I never dreamed that he would be really interested in me, I mean none of the other boys in this school even notice I'm a girl much less one of romantic interest," she murmured.

The response was on the tip of Kate's tongue that she knew of one Weasley who probably thought the entire world of her but held it in. It would not do to further confuse the girl just when she was experiencing her first foray into dating. "So he wants to date you?" She asked.

Nodding, Hermione seemed to grow more and more uncomfortable. "But I think I might have ruined it," she said and drew in a deep breath. "He tried to kiss me on the night of the Yule Ball."

Kate's eyebrows came together. "Define tried to kiss you," she said.

Flapping her hands in a distressed sort of way, Hermione then tugged uncomfortably on the bushy ponytail her hair was in. "I didn't even know what he was doing until he did it," she groaned. "One moment he was walking me to the Gryffindor tower and the next he leaned in and," her voice trailed off and Kate watched her expression change several times before settling on miserable. "I was so surprised I pulled away and rushed into the common room before he could say anything else."

Sympathy was plucking Kate's heartstrings and she reached across the table and gave Hermione's hand an encouraging squeeze. "Have you spoken with him since?" She asked.

"A few times," said Hermione. "Mostly it's been small talk, I've been too embarrassed to do or say much else. I do fancy him, quite a lot but I just didn't know what to do. It was my first kiss," she finished and sighed.

"My first kiss was with Michael Archer, he's a seventh year in Hufflepuff," said Kate with a small giggle. "He had been tutoring me in transfiguration during my fourth year and we got on really well. One night we were talking about some equation and he leaned right over my notes and kissed me. I was so shocked I accidentally put the tip of my quill into the back of his hand," she confided and to her pleasure Hermione's dour expression gave way to a small laugh.

"What did you do after?" She asked.

Kate smiled and gave a small shrug. "I was so mortified I didn't show up to our next session. When my sister wrote back to me after I told her she said I could do one of two things. I could let my embarrassment and pride get the better of me and miss out on a potential opportunity or I could rely on my self-confidence and confront the situation. The next week I went to our session and although it scared me half to death, I kissed him."

Hermione seemed momentarily derailed. "You can do that?" She asked incredulously. "Just out of the blue kiss him and it's okay?"

This time Kate did laugh, nodding she found a funny smile taking her face. "Of course you can, I did it with Michael Archer and more recently I kissed George first. Though we had a rather convoluted start it's going great now," she said.

Nodding, Hermione was silent a moment longer and then sighed. "Still it seems so terrifying to put yourself out on that limb."

"It is scary but if Viktor Krum hung around a library trying to find the courage to ask you to the Ball then clearly he is smitten enough to get past your moment of panic. Trust me, a little bit of personal confidence can go a very long way," she said with a small smile. "Look, here's what I can do to further help. If you're more of a visual person, the next time we're all in the common room I will throw George so far off his wits he won't be able to put a single sentence together."

Giving her a dubious glance, Hermione started shuffling her papers together. "I didn't think that was possible."

Winking, Kate got to her feet. "It's possible with the right attitude," she said.

There was a pregnant pause between the two girls and Hermione gave a small cough. "Thank you for listening to me, I don't have many friends who are girls that would be so kind." Both their glances drifted over Lavender and Parvati. Making a face Kate shook her head.

"You're a direct answer kind of girl, if you didn't go to the romance columnist who else would you have gone to?" She asked with a wink. Just as she started to walk away she paused and gave her a friendly smile. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone and you're welcome."

X X X X X

"Damn, damn, damn," muttered Kate as she flew down the hall as fast as her legs could carry her. Behind her, Kate's robes billowed out and her skirt was flat against her legs with each stride. All of her hair was uncontrolled waves, not even held back with a tie. Last night she had fallen asleep in the News Dungeon, fingers still closed over her quill. Only when the bell tolling ten minutes to class had rung through the hall did Kate wake up, cursing the whole way to the tower so she could brush her teeth and change her shirt.

Now she was fifteen minutes late to charms, and she'd already been late two weeks earlier on the second class of term. Flitwick had already promised Kate a detention on her third time. Cursing in all the different ways she knew, Kate skidded at the corner to the classroom. The door to Flitwick's classroom was shut and she hesitated with her hand on the handle. Closing her eyes and preparing for the worst she opened the door as narrowly as possible and slipped in.

"So nice of you to join us Miss Kelley," said Flitwick not even looking up from his lecture notes. Already his neat writing was scrawled across two blackboards, and a large diagram concerning wand movement during non-verbal emotion charms took up a third. Swallowing her groan she pushed her hair back behind her shoulder and hitched her bag higher up on her shoulder. Without any further ceremony Fred and George burst into applause and the entire class laughed. A brilliant scarlet blush took her cheeks and she held her hand up in a mortified wave, slinking to her seat as quickly as possible. "I will exempt you from house points if you can answer a question for me Miss Kelley," added Flitwick sparing her a glance.

Kate swore he was fighting a smile and she hastily pulled her books and wand from her bag, shooting a dirty glare at the twins. Both Fred and George had huge grins stretched across their faces, identically evil. Making a mental note to deny George the next opportunity he had to snog her, Kate turned her attention to her professor. "Sir?" She prompted him.

"Please explain Maggert the Manic's first law on non-verbal spells regarding emotion charms." Kate's brain went almost immediately blank. Hadn't she reviewed that last night while waiting for Ian to finish sorting through the editorials? She'd been eating an apple and day dreaming about how much nicer life would have been if she'd been snogging her boyfriend instead of working. Maggert the Manic had created the foundation for the theory on non-verbal charms regarding humans. He had laid his theory on the principal of thought versus action.

The answer came to her within seconds. "Maggert's first law states that the force of thought is inverse to the required wand movement. If the projected emotion is strong enough then the force through the wand is less necessary. On the converse, if the emotion is weaker then stronger force through the wand is vital for the charm to take effect," she said as she rifled through her notes. Silence hung over the class and confused she looked up through her lashes to see Flitwick returning her rather vapid stare.

"Will there ever be a time you can't answer my question Miss Kelley?" A small grin took her mouth and she shrugged, Charms was far and away her best class. "Very well, take five points but be advised the next time you are late I will give you detention." Kate could have sworn she saw him mutter something under his breath but Flitwick turned away leaving Kate in doubt as to what he might have said.

"Nice work," muttered Alicia out of the corner of her mouth and Kate sank lower into her chair, relieved to be out of the spotlight.

Already Flitwick was waving his wand toward the almost completely full third board and more writing appeared. "As Miss Kelly so deftly explained, Maggert's first law pertains to the inverse relationship between mental and magical force. The two are exclusive to both each other and at the same time are separate. In non-verbal magic mind is just as important as the wand in your hand. There is however, a find line between too much and just enough. Perhaps Mr. Fred Weasley can tell me what happens when the mind and magic are employed too heavily?"

Fred coughed and pushed aside the note he had been passing with his brother. Smirking to herself, Kate began writing notes as fast as she could, determined to catch up in the lecture. Sitting up in his chair, Fred rubbed his face with his hand and chuckled. "The recipient gets an overload, could end up as grouchy as Snape on shampoo day." The class burst into laughter and Flitwick fixed a glare on Fred.

"Two points off for your cheek Mr. Weasley but yes, in essence you are correct." Alicia reached out across the small divide of their shared table and wrote in her tiny writing in the margin of Kate's notes.

**How do you always have the answers to Flitwick's questions? Does he send them to you ahead of time? **Kate grinned and shook her head. She was nearing the end of the second board and while her professor had gone onto explaining Fred's answer in full, she started writing under Alicia's note, in decidedly less pretty penmanship.

_It's the only subject I care to study, plus Ian is a fantastic tutor. He's the best in our year in Charms. Next to, of course, another rather smart and dishy Ravenclaw. _ To Kate's delight Alicia flushed light pink and she bit her lip, turning her gaze to where Justin Boot was elbowing Ian to sit up straighter and pay attention. Though he certainly wasn't as handsome as Ian Haynes, Justin had a certain nerdy quality to his looks that made him adorable. Usually his dark brown plastic glasses were slightly askew on his face and his sandy hair flopped across his forehead in an unkempt manner that suggested he'd been too busy studying to care for it. Kate had only talked to him a few times but found that he was just as smart as everyone made him out to be. Justin Boot really was Alicia's perfect match.

**I have no idea what you're talking about.** Kate managed to cover her snort of laughter with a cough and wrote a few more lines of notes down before returning to the subject at hand.

_So it wasn't you he was snogging in the owlrey the other day when I went to mail a letter? _Alicia's blush intensified. _No need to get embarrassed, he's really great._

However as Kate read Alicia's next lines her grin turned into a scowl. **So were you sending a letter to your dad?** Alicia, as keen as ever, had seen a weakness in Kate's teasing and jumped on it, placing her on the spot. The most recent Sunday morning had seen the departure of the family owl, Apollo and on his leg was a letter written on her best stationary and in her best handwriting.

Just thinking about the letter to her dad made Kate feel slightly nauseous. Hours upon hours had gone into carefully crafting each sentence so the final language sounded enough like a letter without betraying too much emotion. Ian had found the letter to be perfectly sound in all aspects, expertly written whereas George had been slightly disappointed that Kate hadn't gone full throttle and gotten everything into the open. Still between both boys she'd come up with a final product that was satisfying enough that she didn't immediately throw up in the lavatory as soon as she sent Apollo away.

_Yes I was,_ she wrote back. Just admitting the truth of the situation sent her stomach flip-flopping uncomfortably. Kate really wanted to avoid the entire letter sending process, but it had been necessary and now she'd gone three full days with no reply. She was beginning to wonder if Apollo had gotten lost or if her father had simply burned the letter without opening it.

**Wow Kate, have you heard anything?**

_Not a word, but it's only been a few days. _Flitwick called on Alicia to answer a question about the force to projection ratio and Kate took the opportunity to change the subject as quickly as possible. _Is it true that the team is playing a practice match against Ravenclaw this Saturday?_ She scribbled down.

When Alicia returned to their notes Kate could see her disappointment in the subject change. Still she followed the lead and wrote back quickly. **Yes and don't even get me started. Ang wants us to practice tonight and tomorrow for it.**

Kate had to admit she was curious to see how the game was going to go. Most of all she wondered if George was going to send every bludger toward Stephen Delancourt who had not been gracious at all these last few weeks about Kate's new relationship. Between his icy comments and Jennelyn Ward's death glares, Kate was about to tell Ian to transfer houses so she could write off Ravenclaw entirely. Stephen had forced a shove against George in the crowded hallway and the resulting bicker had almost come to blows had Fred not stepped between them.

_I guess that will provide a welcome distraction from studying_. Kate admitted. Turning her attention to the board she frowned. Somehow she'd missed out on another massive section of new notes and a chart was now going up, depicting the basic power to projection ratio. Deciding it was time to stop chatting she threw herself full body into her notes, but she could not shake the sinking feeling that her father was not going to write to her and something was going to go very wrong at the practice match.

X X X X X

Hermione had suffered a week of nothing but a continual headache. As eight on Thursday night approached she was on the verge of going to the infirmary to get a relief potion from Madame Pomfrey just so she could skip out on sleeping in her dorm. If she was considered the brightest witch in her year then surely her intelligence was compensating for the lack there of in her two roommates. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were the only two girls Hermione knew that could break down a glance over breakfast into a full two hour discussion. As she stabbed her quill to dot the period at the end of her defense essay she couldn't help but think if they studied as much as they gossiped they might have better marks than she.

Normally their incessant chatter didn't bother Hermione too much, she'd gotten extremely adept at tuning them out. Usually they were just background noise as she got ready for bed or dressed in the morning. In fact she was positive that until she'd gone to the Yule Ball with Victor that they'd forgotten she really even existed as more than a walking encyclopedia for their homework woes. Then that stupid ball had to come round and she just had to go out of her way to be noticed with her shiny hair and pretty robes. Poor Victor had been speechless, opening Hermione's eyes to the fact that she could even do that to someone. Ron had been speechless too but for a completely different reason.

Now that she was suddenly deemed a girl, and not entirely unattractive by the boys of Hogwarts, she had gained 'girl' status from Parvati and Lavender. Hermione wasn't exactly sure what this entailed until she had been included in gossip hours, subjected to answering countless embarrassing questions about Victor and their time together. Wasn't the whole point of 'alone time' to not have the rest of the world know your business? Snapping her book shut she sent a furtive glance around the common room, and was satisfied that Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum were happily bluffing their way through practicing transfiguration, keeping Dean and Seamus quite busy wiping their jaws off the floor.

Ron and Harry were sitting at the table with her, grumbling about their divinitation homework. Narrowly avoiding another one of her unstoppable comments about the idiocy of the subject, Hermione bit her lip and casually set her quill down. A few feet away Fred and George Weasley were entertaining a couple second years by bewitching teacups to fly around in complicated formations. Neither one of them were saying a word though they were grinning, as they used non-verbal magic. Although she was usually reluctant to admit, the twins were exceptionally gifted wizards and it was almost a shame that they wouldn't put their talents to higher use. Then she watched the second years laugh and clap in utter delight, waving their wands and talking about learning how to do that and she amended her slightly narrow thinking.

"Hermione have you got your history notes? I can't read mine." Ron's voice drifted in her ears and she fought a scowl. Ever since the Yule Ball she'd been struggling against the urge to strangle him at every turn. Ron's behavior that night had done more than offend her date, it had downright hurt her feelings and she did not recover as easily from his slights as he believed. Perhaps that was because he didn't understand the complicated nature of her feelings for him. Hermione was light-years ahead of him in maturity and she was worried he would never catch up, and if he did, what if he didn't feel the same way?

"Here," she said after rifling through her notebooks, handing them over.

Determined to keep him from her mind, Hermione turned her focus back to the twins as a new thought came to her. From where she sat she could overhear their conversation and she wondered if Kate Kelley would live up to her promise? Just because Ron wasn't going to get with the program didn't mean there wasn't someone else already lined up. The more she spoke to Victor, the more Hermione fancied him and decided if she was ever going to learn how to snog someone, now was the time. If only her nerves would get out of her way.

As if someone had heard her silent plea, the portrait swung open a few moments later and Kate walked into the common room. Hermione had not known Kate at all before their most recent encounters, though she had heard plenty about her. Rumors about Kate Kelley were usually confined to her social circle of the twins, Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson. From what Hermione could tell Kate was about average with her class in magical skill, but she was a fantastic writer and had a very firm grasp on human nature and the confidence to be a girl among the many boys in Hogwarts.

Kate's eyes found hers, as if she knew what Hermione had been thinking about. With a conspiratorial wink she dropped her bag next to the table that had become Fred and George's miniature kingdom. Always in the think of action, the twins recognized her presence though in different ways. Whenever Kate was around it was easy to tell the twins apart. Fred stayed his usual self but George lit up like a muggle Christmas tree, his grin morphed into a genuine smile as if he couldn't get enough of her presence. Well, Hermione reasoned, they were quite well suited for each other.

"Good evening Miss Kelley," he greeted and reached for her bag to set on the table. Waving him off she shook her head.

"I'm not staying long I've got to get some homework and I'll never finish it here," she said with a sweet smile. With a careful movement she reached up and brushed the hair from where it had fallen in his eyes. The single touch alone seemed to relax George and to Hermione's eyes he had forgotten that anyone else in the room existed. Kate's other hand casually reached out and filled his.

"Sure you don't want to stay?" He asked and the incantation he'd been using to keep the teacups floating was weakening. Hermione watched amazed as they began to drop lower and lower. "I'll be on my best behavior," he teased and she rolled her eyes.

Shaking her head she bit her lower lip and then laughed. "Nice try, but I know better than that. It's alright I don't think it'll take too long," and then Kate looked out of the corner of her eye and made pointed eye contact with Hermione. Sitting up a littler further in her chair, Hermione was trying not to look like she was staring but couldn't help it.

Kate pushed her hair behind her ear and leaned closer to George. "How long is too long?" He questioned and the teacups came to a dead half as her hand came to rest on his side.

"The common room will empty by ten thirty," she said. "Meet me down here at quarter till?" She enquired and he nodded.

Then with no hesitation or seeming discomfort, Kate leaned in and pressed her lips to his. The kiss wasn't even that long, just a couple seconds but it had done the trick. With a small crash the teacups came down on the rugs and Fred burst into laughter when Kate pulled away. George was silently mouthing words that wouldn't come out and she gave him another quick kiss on the cheek before she walked toward the stair to the girl's dorm.

"That's how it's done," she said softly to Hermione as she walked right by her table, and then threw a friendly smile over her shoulder.

The next afternoon Hermione left the library with a huge smile on her face. Her lips were a little swollen and her cheeks were rosy from the exhilaration. All she'd had to do was lean across the table and do exactly what Kate did; she took Victor's in hers and just kissed him. Somehow all of the worries she'd been experiencing that week drained from her mind as she thought about the short, but sweet kiss she'd just experienced. As she made her way to the common room she could think of nothing but sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table with Victor for dinner.

**So I realize that this chapter is a little tedious and boring but I will freely admit that I needed a little filler to jump-start some other parts of the chapter. The second half of this story will move faster than the first. I fully expect to have the second task within the next two chapters as well as developments with Kate and George, a little more Delancourt the royal idiot, Ian returns hangover free, and you'll have an article very, very soon!**


	21. Love and the Dafty Dandelion

**A/N: Surprise! Two, in like…two-ish weeks! I was a little surprised myself but I've been dying to get back to the drama! I've already started the draft for the second part of this story, which will encompass OoTP and a portion of HBP.**

**In other news: I GOT INTO LAW SCHOOL! **

**Many, many thanks for the reviews, alerts, and favorites. You are the best readers ever and I've been trying to get better about PM-ing all of you post review, I think I got to everyone I could this time! I also send a jar of the Midwest's cold weather and snow to greenluva89. I'll gladly share Ian Haynes wrapped up in shiny Christmas ribbon for those who review!**

**Disclaimer: You know what's mine…in three and a half years I'll be able to tell you all about the legal ramifications of what would happen if I didn't tell you that all of HP-verse belongs to JKR!**

Chapter 20 Love and the Dafty Dandelion

"Kate, Kate, Kate, Kate," said the voice next to her. Kate's grip tightened on her quill until her knuckles were white, threatening to snap it in half. A few rays of sunshine fell over the table, shooting through the glass panes. Outside the clouds were drawing in closer together; giving the promise of another snowstorm that would yet again blanket the school. Just the other day Kate had seen drifts nearly swallow first years on their way to Herbology and she'd seen professors and prefects all over the school charming the cracks in the school walls, hoping to keep the heat in.

There had been a brief pause in her flow of irritation but just when she was about to release a breath the finger began tugging the sleeve of her sweater. "Kate, if you don't respond I'm going to keep up with this," said the voice reasonably and she heard her name over and over again, the tugging continuing. Setting her quill down, Kate's eyes narrowed into slits and he turned her glare to the boy sitting next to her.

A lazy grin took Ian's face, the type of grin that made most girls weak in the knees. His hair was longer than usual; brushing his collar now and there was a shadow of two days' stubble on his chin. "What do you want," she said through gritted teeth.

Rolling his eyes, Ian reclined in his chair and folded his hands behind his head. "Talk to you of course," he replied and she felt another wave of frustration roll over her. If that git had come here only to annoy her Kate was going to hex him into next week.

Lifting her eyes she pointed to the signs that floated overhead, between the endless rows of books. "No food in the library, no drinks in the library, no running in the library, _no excessive talking _in the library," Kate ticked off in a hushed voice as the signs continually erased themselves and a new rule or message scrawled out on them. Ian gave the signs a passing glance before turning his intent gaze back to her.

"Where's the boyfriend?" He enquired leaning over her notes, blatantly ignoring her warning. Kate sighed as his shadow fell across the pages and she gave up, snapping her potions book shut with more force than necessary.

"Quidditch practice with the team, they pushed the practice match to tomorrow night," she replied and he nodded with a mock sage expression on his face. Sighing she shook her head and pushed her ponytail over her shoulder. "What else did you come here to talk to me about? I know you're not even remotely interested in the whereabouts of George," she said. True to her suspicions Ian's expression gave way to a more serious look.

He opened his bag and pulled out the large muggle binder that went everywhere with him. Kate called the binder the 'Holy Bible of the Herald,' something which caused a smirk to cross Ian's face. Within the faded navy covers, held copies of articles, edits, ideas and the calendars for publish dates, article due dates and Kate was positive the secret blood contracts of every senior member which he kept in the News Dungeon far more often than they felt necessary. "We need to talk about the issue for the second task," he said and she sighed but gave a nod.

"I figured you'd be getting around to that this week," she said and pulled out her own portfolio dedicated to the paper. Hers was much thinner and bound in deep plum leather. Elise had given it to her last year for Christmas and within its depths she kept her drafts of her article as well as the edits she did for other staff writers. "I've got Marla signed up to take pictures before, during and after. I talked to Samuel about devoting the editorials to speculations about what the task could be as well as writing about each Champion's thoughts about the upcoming task. I think we can get Diggory and Potter with no problem but I need to talk to Fleur and Krum," she rattled off going over the small tasks she'd taken up herself.

Ian nodded, producing his favored muggle pens. He started making notes on a blank parchment sheet and she watched as his rapid writing filled up the page. "I heard a funny story about you by the way," he commented off hand and Kate fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Oh did you," she commented breezily. "What is it this time"?

"Jennelyn Ward is telling anyone who will listen that you've been stealing her ideas to write the column," he said. Irritation prickled Kate like needles in a pincushion as she let the comment sink in.

"Of course she has," she muttered darkly. "Because she would be so brilliant to come up with these ideas all from her own experience. After all I supposedly stole her boyfriend, why wouldn't I steal everything else?" Ian patted her arm and then handed her several sheets of notes he'd written.

Looking up she found his eyes staring into hers and he sighed. "You know nobody actually believes any of it," he said and she couldn't help the pointed look she gave him. Kicking his feet up into the chair that was directly across from him he slumped deeper down. "Alright, well everybody that matters thinks it's all absolute rubbish. You know she won't even talk to me anymore?"

Frowning, Kate looked over the notes he'd made on her most recent article draft. There was shining green ink and blue for all of his sidebars and notes. "She's a git."

"She used to be your best friend." Ian reasoned. "Have you tried talking to her at all?"

Shaking her head, Kate held her hand up to stop him. "I know where this is going and just stop now," she implored. "Trying to make up with my father is enough, I can't mend every bridge at the same time," she said and he closed his mouth.

"Still haven't heard from him?" Kate shook her head and it took all of her willpower to keep her lower lip from trembling.

"Not likely to," she said and shuffled her notes around a moment before she sighed. "I can't concentrate on anything now that you've decided to go and muck up my studies." Almost as soon as she spoke a bell rang through the school and she sighed, getting to her feet. Ian followed suit and the pair packed up their things, headed for the Great Hall.

Whistling came from Ian as they ambled down the drafty hallways. Kate said hello to several familiar faces as they passed and she smirked as she watched several third year girls goggle at Ian as he passed. Even Kate had to admit that he looked incredibly cool with his hands in his pockets, sleeves rolled back and all. Despite his social reservations, Ian gave the appearance of being totally relaxed all the time. "What makes you say your dad won't write to you?"

Kate's mind swung around from mulling over her best friend's more attractive traits to the subject at hand. His question was so casual that she almost missed his point. Almost as quickly her mind jumped to the letter riding in the front pocket of her bag. She'd been carrying it around with her since the day after Christmas, though she hadn't opened it till a couple days after. Determined to ignore her Aunt's well-meaning advice, she had failed to mention it to anyone but George.

"Here," she said handing Ian the letter.

As they walked, she looped her arm through his to keep him on a straight path. Ian had a habit of reading while walking and occasionally mowed down another student or bumped into a wall. "From your Aunt Madeline? Geeze Kate why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"

Shrugging, Kate impatiently pushed her hair from her face and they started down a series of stairs. "Jump," she commanded and together they hopped the first invisible step. "Jump again," and then the second.

"Well that's surprising," said Ian as he moved to the second page. "I thought your Aunt would have had more to say about the whole thing," he said and they turned onto the next landing. Sounds of the milling student body grew as they neared the entrance hall. Deep in the letter, Ian was oblivious as Kate neatly dodged other groups of students and smiled at several of her year mates as they passed by.

"Which table?" She asked.

"Ravenclaw," said Ian automatically and Kate rolled her eyes but they navigated through the entrance hall and into the Great Hall. The main aisle separated Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, and Kate sat then at an empty section in the middle on the Gryffindor side. After another moment Ian set the letter down and rubbed a confused hand over his head. "She wants you to spend the summer with her in Devonshire?" He echoed her private disbelief.

Kate found that she wasn't even trying hard to be incredibly cavalier about the whole thing as she reached for the platter of roast. "Yeah," she said with a small chuckle. "Can you imagine Cara and I kicking around the English countryside for a whole summer?"

Ian's confusion gave way to an amused grin and he shook his head. "You'd both go mad of boredom, I mean I can't imagine that her ideas of refining you for adult life are of any consequence," he said.

"Aunt Madeline has very strict ideas on what is and isn't suitable for young witches. She doesn't exactly approve of my writing ambitions or Cara's keen interest in foreign runes translation."

Ian rolled his eyes and poured a measure of pumpkin juice into his goblet. "Forget appropriate, I can't imagine that anyone but Cara would find foreign runes even remotely interesting."

"Well now Ian I rather resent that." Ian straightened at the sight of Cara sinking onto Kate's other side, tossing her deep golden hair over her narrow shoulders. Kate grinned at her sister who picked up Madeline's letter with a rather disgusted expression on her face. "Oh you're talking about this," she said it with such repugnancy that Kate snorted into her pumpkin juice.

Laughing, Ian reached out for the letter and scanned the contents once more. "What I can't figure is why she told you not to worry about you dad's receiving a letter from Delancourt," he said and Cara muttered 'git' under her breath. "Nor why she said that his reaction was as to be expected and not to worry about it all. I thought she'd spent ages pleading with your dad to try and get you all back as a happy family."

Kate shrugged, whatever her Aunt was up to, Kate was sure she didn't want to know. "Madeline is barmy," said Cara with an authoritative ring in her voice. "Who knows and or cares what she has to say, I burned my letter from her."

All three of them shared an amused smile just as several owls began swooping overhead. Kate looked up and a familiar owl was soaring towards them. "I don't believe it," she said as Apollo landed bearing a letter. Taking the letter she sloshed some pumpkin juice into a saucer for her tired owl before he took off, presumably for the owlery. "Ah, well that makes more sense."

Cara leaned over her shoulder and Kate took in the familiar writing across the envelope. "Why would Elise be writing you instead of dad?" She asked and that was the exact same question Kate wanted an answer to.

Quickly she opened the letter and unfolded the parchment. "Dearest Kate, I know you were expecting dad to respond. I think you should know that he did receive your letter, he came by the house the night he received it," her voice dropped off as she read on, receiving Elise's account of the entire affair. Her frown grew and grew as she continued through the narrative and then got to the real crux of the situation. "The truth is that dad said that he has nothing to say to you in response to your request. He feels that there is nothing he could say that could ever make amends for the situation at hand. I think he's feeling really guilty about the whole thing right now but I wouldn't expect much of anything from him."

"Rubbish," muttered Cara and she wrapped her arm around Kate's shoulder. Disappointment welled up in the pit of her stomach as she reread the contents of the letter. "Absolute rubbish, why is he being such an idiot?"

More than anything Kate was angry, especially with herself for getting her hopes up. There hadn't been much of a chance, not really. Theodore had made it painfully clear that he had no intentions of reconciling with her after their falling out. Though Kate now saw the situation as painfully immature and bordering the ridiculous she knew that grudges died hard in her family and as she watched Jennelyn Ward watch her with a dark expression, she knew that they might never go away. Resting her head on her sister's shoulder she sighed. "Well that's that," she decided and Cara's jaw dropped.

"You're not going to do anything?" She asked.

"I'm going to write Aunt Madeline and politely decline both our invitations and send my love to Elise." Kate replied and pushed her fork around her plate.

Cara's hand slackened from her shoulder and when Kate looked at her sister her face mirrored the disappointment Kate felt. "You're not going to do anything else at all?" Her voice was small.

"Cara I'm not going to beg for his love, if dad wants to reach out then he will but I won't get on my knees and drag it out of him," she replied and then pushed her full plate away. Getting her bag she shoved the letter in the front pocket along with Madeline's. Hurt was welling in her heart and even though she thought she'd prepared for this reaction she still found it stung deeper than she wanted. Leaving her sister and Ian slack jawed from their seats she trudged out of the castle and onto the grounds. There was only one person she wanted to see, and as the quidditch pitch came into view she saw the Gryffindor team trudging from the their locker room entrance.

"Kate!" Alicia's voice carried across the grounds.

Two red heads looked up and Alicia reached her first. In testament to her friendship she read the expression on Kate's face almost immediately. "You've heard back haven't you," she said just in earshot of George.

Before Kate could stop them a few tears sprang from her eyes. Then, just as she hoped he would, George wrapped his arms tightly around her. "I probably smell pretty bad," he muttered in her ear. Closing her eyes she pressed her face against the shoulder of his heavy cloak and caught the tinge of fresh sweat and when she looked up at him his hair was matted against his forehead. But there was an encouraging smile on his face and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she looked to where Fred, Angelina and Alicia were waiting for her.

"I could care less," she muttered and together they walked with the rest of their friends up to the castle.

X X X X X

The sun was stretching its rays through the bare tree branches on the Friday morning of the practice match. A heavy blanket of snow covered the grounds and was bathed in the winter light, the flakes sparkling like thousands of tiny diamond shards embedded in the ground. Still it was frigid cold outside as George kicked the snow off his shoes and walked into the castle. The rest of his friends surrounded him as they all came in from Herbology.

Fred was shaking his hair out of his hat and stuff it back into the front pocket of his bag. His hazel eyes caught George's and the shared a casual grin, mirroring their amusement from their last class. Behind them Alicia and Angelina were helping a slightly shell shocked Lee into the castle. The Dafty Dandelions they'd been sketching weren't exactly the safest plants in the world to be studying. All lesson long they'd worn heavy face masks and their dragon hide gloves to protect their hands as they counted leaves and then collected seeds from the fat bulbs that sprouted from the thick stalk of the plant. The trouble with Dafty Dandelions was that if any of the seeds popped a noxious fume was released into the greenhouse, and disoriented those nearest.

Professor Sprout had charmed the vents in the top of the glass building to suck the gas upward. That plus the masks were supposed to prevent any mishaps, until one of Lee's seeds rolled off the table. He accidentally stepped on it and the gas seeped straight through a slight gap in his mask. Uncontrollable laughter spilled from his lips and he'd had to clutch his stomach for support. For a long time Professor Sprout was barely able to get him to draw breath before his eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped onto the bench in a dead faint. Fred had bellowed with laughter and George had rushed to check Lee's pulse before he joined in with his brother. Alicia, Angelina and Kate had been less amused though George knew he'd seen a smile twitch the corners of Kate's mouth.

"Did you know I think Professor Sprout caught me sleeping in class," he muttered in half slurred words. Looking over his shoulder George chuckled and shook his head. When Fred and he had offered to haul Lee to his feet and help him to the hospital wing Lee had flat out refused. He had pointed a quivering hand to Alicia and then to Angelina stating he wanted _real women_ to assist him, a line, which the twins assured everyone, they'd never let Lee forget.

"Alright we're off with this sod to Madam Pomfrey, she's going to be livid," said Alicia with a despairing glance at Lee who was singing under his breath. His dreadlocks were falling in his face and George cracked another evil grin as the sight of his friends slightly crossed eyes.

On his other side Kate waited until the trio was out of sight before she started laughing. "Dafty Dandelions? More like Drunk Dandelions if you ask me," she mumbled and smiled up at George as he put his free arm around her shoulder. Against his will his stomach did a flip-flop, he was beginning to wonder if this feeling would ever get old and he privately hoped it never would. Looking out over the sparkling grounds through one of the windows he mused that February was proving to be as brutally cold as January, he didn't much fancy taking a fly in those temperatures later that night.

Fred hooked his index finger to his necktie and loosened the knot. "Well look at it this way, at least he won't have the hangover and make us all miserable at dinner," he said. They came upon the main fairway, which was rapidly filling with students. "Anyway I've got to go have a word with Ickle Ronnikins and Boy Wonder before Transfiguration, they were supposed to talk Hermione out of telling mum about the Canary Crèmes we've been selling."

Raising his hand in a salute, George winked at his twin. "I wish you luck and if those gits haven't done it then you and I'll just have to take matters into our own hands," he said and Fred's smile turned into one his patented grins that made him the more devious of the two.

George stopped at the edge of the crowded hall and looked down at Kate. "I've got a free period now and I'm desperate to get my potions essay finished before we have Defense, I'll see you later in class?" She asked and he nodded. Quickly Kate stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek before taking a right down the hallway, presumably to the common room or to the study hostels on the seventh floor. Either way George was suddenly left with nothing to do but get to McGonagall's room early. Turning left he started down the hall when someone bumped into his shoulder, hard.

"Oi watch it," he said with a scowl and turned to find Stephen Delancourt standing perfectly still, staring at him. There was no friendly expression, or even an apologetic look to indicate the accident.

"I'll walk where I please Weasley," he said and gave George a look that indicated some twisted form of superiority. "Perhaps if you weren't too busy being a prat you'd notice there are others in this school."

Arching an eyebrow, George pressed a flat hand to his chest. "Moi? A prat? Such cutting words Delancourt," he said and the corner of his mouth rose in a smirk.

Crossing his arms over his chest, George did not miss the way Stephen's hands balled up into tight fists. "Shut it Weasley," he said and a sarcastic laugh filled the space between them.

"What sharp wit and originality, I don't how if I'll ever recover from such a slight, but I'll do my best," he deadpanned and made to walk away when a hand closed over his wrist. Stephen gave him a sharp tug and George wheeled round, his face betraying his disbelief. "Was there something I can do for you?" He enquired.

Stephen stepped out of the crowded walkway and into a darker, empty hallway. "You humiliated me," he growled. Confusion filtered through his surprise and George scratched the back of his head, unable to avoid his amused chuckle now. Had Delancourt gone off his rocker? George had heard rumors lately that ever since Kate had dumped this sorry sod he'd not had much luck getting dates. Then again it was a tough break when the girl he'd been dating publicly declared her love for someone else, and walked off without a second glance.

"Come again?" He said, cupping his hand to his ear.

A strange shade of fuchsia was flooding into Stephen's cheeks as he finally realized that George had no intention of taking him seriously. "You, you stupid, arrogant, poorer than dirt sod, you convinced her to break up with me. Somehow she's managed to believe that she's in love with you."

Stupid? Perhaps only for show. Arrogant? Yes, even George was secure enough to admit he had a tendency to be a bit big headed. Poorer than dirt? Technically not true since dirt had no calculable wealth. Still Stephen had hit a nerve and the second George's fingers reflexively curled into fists the light of understanding reached the git's face. "Funny that Kate has managed to believe she's in love with me. Probably because Kate is in love with me," he commented trying to stay as calm as possible. "Though embarrassing you for the whole school to see? That was just an extra perk of her finally admitting the truth," he added with a satisfied air.

Stephen's laugh was not the same charming lilt he used to impress girls. This laugh was genuine and not at all handsome in George's opinion. There was a trace of bitterness and he stepped around George, his critical eye taking in the robes that had been Charlie's at one point. Both he and Fred were content to wear hand-me-downs, what did George care about a school robe? His muggle converse trainers were a bit scuffed up and the shoelaces were fraying at the ends, but in his opinion that was character. Still it bothered George that the rest of the world saw such details as a point of inferiority, and it never failed to anger him. "Admitting the truth about her feelings? Please, what would Kate, a member of the Kelley family, want with someone like you?"

Bristling at Stephen's tone, George's fingers flexed a little and he fought the urge to go for his wand. "Someone like me? Huh," he replied sharply, rolling his eyes. The bell for classes was beginning to toll. "I didn't think you cared that much about Kate's feelings one way or the other, she's certainly never cared much about the weight of a family name," he snapped.

"Her dalliance with you cost me my shot at St. Mungo's you penniless twat." Snapped Stephen.

Clapping his hands together George laughed. Of course Delancourt didn't care about Kate, he never really had. This was all about Stephen's favorite activity, scrambling and weaseling his way up social ladders and manipulating others for his own gain. As if Delancourt had any true notion of genuine affection, he couldn't stay with a girl longer than he could throw her and George was just relieved that Kate had come to her senses way earlier than most did. "First of all Delancourt let me assure you, I'm not you, I don't dally about with girls least of all Kate. Secondly you lost your chance yourself don't go dragging my girlfriend or me into your poor judgment calls. Third if you make anymore cracks about my family I'll put you through that stone wall, and I won't need magic to do it," he growled.

Stephen made the first move but George was quicker and his shield deflected Ian's jinx. The jet of purple light missed the side of Delancourt's head my mere centimeters. Dislike crackled between the two of them and George held his wand at the ready, prepared to fight back if absolutely necessary. Fred loved the thrill of a good duel, but George had never had the taste for it. In his opinion magic should be used for practicality but above all to inspire humor; consciously inflicting hurt on others was not his forte. "Don't go picking fights you can't win Delancourt, you might have money status on your side but if you haven't noticed those two don't mean much when it comes to skill," he said. "Particularly if you're going to try and duel with me."

Turning around, George slid his wand back into his pocket but kept his fingers curled tightly around the end. He knew that he'd probably only provoked Stephen even further, but for the moment he was more curious to being to his lesson on time. "Watch your back Weasley!" He heard Stephen threaten just before he was out of earshot.

"Sodding prick," he muttered and ambled down the hall with the last of the straggling students toward McGonagall's classroom. Try as he might through his whole lesson George still couldn't erase the words from his mind. _What would Kate want with someone like you?_ Though was absolutely positive of her feelings for her, he still couldn't completely ignore the question niggling in the back corner of his mind. Kate was from a family name associated with accomplishment, big names and wealth; what would she want with a Weasley who came from a house that required magic to stand on its own and kept chickens in the front yard alongside dirty garden gnomes?

Later when he was in Defense it was a relief to partner with his brother, away from her curious glances.

X X X X X

The sun was already gone, and in its place were huge burning lanterns that were posted all over the stadium, bathing the pitch in bright light. Cold air whipped across the pitch in wide sweeps, causing the flags on the ramparts of the stands to snap sharply, straining their wood support poles. Each of the four school banners was ruffled with each pass from the unceasing wind and the small crowd that had gathered for the scrimmage was bundled to the fullest extent. George could see the small outlines and familiar colors from his vantage point on the field.

Twirling his bat in his hand he moved under the rough and fast game play, watching above him while Fred made passes above the game play. Both he and his brother were ready to swoop in at a millisecond's notice, using their heavy muscles and alarming accuracy. Fred was taking his turn defending the Gryffindor reserve keeper, a seventh year named Austin Alker and he was also keeping a keen eye on Harry Potter. The seeker for Gryffindor was zigzagging through the game with an enviable ease. Flying came about as easy to Harry Potter as mischief came to George and his brother. Sometimes it was hard not to tag him and ignore the rest of the game play.

Bringing himself back to focus, George kept his eyes trained on the Gryffindor chasers who were running an excellent defense. Angelina had such a tight tail on Davies that he was certain she'd hop onto his broom at any second. Ravenclaw's beaters had been zooming around so much during game play that they were starting to lag and George gave a slight shake of his head. Their beaters were both third year recruits and hadn't quite learned how to conserve their energy for these longer games.

A bludger swooped across the field, streaking towards Alicia who was setting up a clever block against that git Delancourt. Both George and Fred made a move and George got into position and with a perfect thwack on the upper third of his bat sent the bludger right for his brother who in turn sent it back at Davies. Sparing a glance over to Alicia who had yelled a quick 'thanks' he found Delancourt giving him a rather sour glare. Fighting the urge to smile he wove through the game play moving toward the second bludger which was hurtling toward Katie Bell. Fred missed him by mere inches as he dove to deflect the other bludger away from Harry, the black ball shot straight towards Cho who had to execute a tight roll on her broom to avoid the hit.

George managed to duck back under game play just to watch Alicia intercept the quaffle and outstripped Delancourt and the third Ravenclaw chaser Holly Keats. Angelina threw her body and broom in front of Davies and Alicia threw the quaffle right through the center hoop before their keeper could catch it. Cheer floated up from the stands and George spared a glance down. Kate was on her feet with Lee and his brother and Hermione Granger, all four of them clapping and yelling.

Failing to suppress a grin, George threw himself lower in his broom and reentered game play. There was something so satisfying about the rush of a good quidditch match and he was thriving on the competition Ravenclaw was putting up today. Though he knew that Harry would eventually catch the snitch as he always did, George personally lived for the thrill of not knowing which way the game was going. Even in the professional leagues he liked games with a narrower margin or unbelievable comebacks.

As he squared up for another bludger he picked his target among the Ravenclaw chasers. At first he thought about having a go at Keats but Katie too closely tailed her and instead he sought out Stephen sodding Delancourt. It wasn't as if he had a personal vendetta to beat the daylights out of that git, but still George was enjoying the opportunity to aim the bludger at him way more than usual. Part of this surge in mean-spirited pleasure was related to the fact that the idiot had very nearly cost him Kate; but more than that was that he was still bristling from Stephen's accusations and attempted jinxing earlier. There was no honor in picking a fight already lost, nor was there any respect Stephen could gain by pinning the blame for his idiocy on George or on Kate. Plus tonight Delancourt had gone out of his way to be extra aggressive on the pitch, making passes against both twins that were far too close for comfort.

"Git," muttered George as he moved above the line of game play and took an alternate turn of watching from above. Fred had just returned from deflecting another shot aimed for Harry and he pushed the sweaty hair from his eyes.

"I swear I'm going to hit Delancourt with my bat if he doesn't stop getting in my way." Growled Fred and he tightened his grip on his bat. Over the whistle of another blast of cold wind George tried to get his voice to carry.

"I'll take another shot and see if that doesn't shut him up." Nodding, Fred urged his broom forward to take a circle over the Keeper's hoops and George dove back into the fray. Keeping one hand firmly on the handle of his broom he ducked under Angelina as she streaked across the pitch with the quaffle locked in her somewhat infamous death grip. Alicia tailed close behind providing extra protection. As the cheers rose up George didn't have to look to call the play. He was almost certain that Katie swept in from behind the third goal and Angelina passed before Katie looped around to score in the second, the play was one of Angelina's favorites.

"Watch you air space Weasley!" Delancourt yelled and his broom clipped the tail of George's sending him off course. Just barely he missed the bludger that nearly took him in his right shoulder. Cursing he looked up to see Fred making a nasty gesture at Delancourt and George felt his own anger start to bubble in his veins. He knew that the git had been saying a lot of unpleasant things about Kate and him alike but he figured all nastiness was to be left off the pitch.

Clearly this was not the case as he took a pass at Fred. George tried to refocus but the stunts of Delancourt's were getting more and more far fetched and George could only reckon that he was acting out of spite. Somewhere in those stands Kate wasn't cheering for anyone but Gryffindor and more importantly she wasn't cheering for Stephen at all. Although it made him sick to believe the notion, George knew that Delancourt wasn't truly upset about breaking up with Kate so much as he was upset that she had been the one to break things off. From what George understood, Delancourt was not the bloke a girl just simply cast off to the side and he was apparently not taking the hit well at all.

Though as he sent another bludger toward one of the beaters, George couldn't see why being a jackass to him would solve any of his problems. Then without warning, as it usually always happened, Harry shot off like a fireworks rocket. The kid's firebolt was just too fast for Cho's broom and he took a very impressive dive from the higher point in the stadium to almost the bottom. Just as George watched Harry's fingers cage the snitch another image caught his attention.

Stephen Delancourt whether possessed by anger or just sheer stupidity had taken a beater's bat and hit a bludger with all his might. Though there seemed to be no sensible target of his hit George still watched in utter terror as the bludger moved across the field so fast he could barely keep up with it. The dark blur cleared a path and despite all the shouting to move, the unwitting target didn't have time to react. George gave a massive shout and watched in abject horror as the bludger nailed Fred right between the shoulder blades with a sickening thump and before anyone could move he toppled from his broom and plummeted toward the ground.

**So normally I'm not one for big cliffies, but I couldn't help myself. Besides isn't it just so classic that Stephen-sodding-Delancourt gets the twins mixed up? Any who next chapter will involve reactions, and will also project the story along down the timeline…the last portion of this piece of the LEBC-verse will go faster, mainly because I'm dying to get to OoTP and the war! **

**Please leave some love, or even some constructive feedback if you would. I'd love to hear from you! –Brose.**


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